Risotto with Sardines

Name: Risotto with Sardines: Rice with Canned Fish in Oil
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Italian cuisine
Ingredients: Arborio rice 200 g; Vegetable broth or water 0.8 l; Sardines in oil 1 can; Onion 1; Garlic 1-2 cloves; Basil 4-5 sprigs; Parmesan 50 g; Olive oil 3 tbsp; Salt 2 g; Black pepper, dried herbs to taste

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50 mins

Italian cuisine is a rich, layered tradition of eating and cooking that comes from the regions of the Apennine Peninsula. Its principles and traditions have long been part of world culinary art. A seafood risotto recipe is a masterpiece in its own right, and the best restaurants cook it.

“Little rice” is the affectionate name Italians give to dishes made from local rice varieties such as arborio, carnaroli, roma and vialone nano. The key to risotto is that the high-starch rice is first fried in olive oil or butter and then cooked with broth or water added a little at a time. Right at the end, when the rice is almost done, you add meat, fish, vegetables, mushrooms and so on. Parmesan or pecorino gives risotto flavor and creaminess.

I really liked this recipe for risotto with sardines. If you have a can of sardines left over, there is also Mimosa salad with sardines. It doesn’t matter much whether the sardines are fresh or canned in oil. “Sardine” is a general name for several commercial fish of the herring family: the European pilchard, sardinops and sardinella. Huge schools of sardines, sometimes billions of fish, gather and migrate following the cold currents. Dolphins, whales and sharks swim after them, and birds fly overhead. They say the phenomenon has still not been fully explained.

Unfortunately, sardines are rarely sold now in the little rectangular tins, with 10-12 fish weighing no more than a quarter of a pound packed in olive oil. The lion’s share of “real” sardines is chopped young herring, anchovies, sprats or kilka. Apart from a similar way of preserving, such canned fish has nothing in common with those sardines in oil. I have often seen rice with canned fish, cooked risotto-style, on restaurant menus.

Let’s make a home-style dish: rice with canned fish. Strictly speaking, it is not risotto with sardines in oil, but it is very tasty, just like a fish soup made from canned fish. Besides sardines, any fish that is cooked the way sardines are will do. I would even say that saury in oil works best. I describe the rice and the broth for risotto in detail in the recipe for risotto with vegetables. Among fish versions, try risotto with salmon too. Another one from the same series worth trying is risotto with chicken.

Ingredients

2 servings

Arborio rice 200 g
Vegetable broth or water 0.8 l
Sardines in oil 1 can
Onion 1
Garlic 1-2 cloves
Basil 4-5 sprigs
Parmesan 50 g
Olive oil 3 tbsp
Salt 2 g
Black pepper, dried herbs to taste

Step-by-step recipe

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Preparation

Prepare the sardines and garlic. Open the can of sardines and pour the liquid into a cup. Break the sardines into large pieces, removing the backbone if you can. Peel the garlic and crush it lightly with the flat of a knife.

Frying the onion and rice

Flavor the oil with garlic. In a wide, deep frying pan, heat 3 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Fry the garlic in the oil until golden, then take it out and discard it. The garlic is only there to flavor the oil.
Fry the onion until golden. Peel the onion, cut it into thin rings and fry it in the same oil. Try not to overcook it; it is enough for the onion to turn light brown.
Fry the rice. Add the rice to the fried onion, stir and keep frying for a few minutes. The edges of the grains should start to turn pearly and translucent. Add salt and pepper, and 1-2 pinches of dried aromatic herbs (a “Mediterranean” herb mix works well).

Cooking the rice with sardines

Pour the liquid from the can of sardines and half a cup (about 100 ml) of vegetable broth or plain hot water into the rice. Cook over medium heat until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Lay the sardines on the rice and, without stirring, add about 0.7 liters of hot broth or water.
Cook the rice over low heat, uncovered, for about 20 mins, until it looks creamy and is fully done. Add finely chopped basil and stir.
Let the rice stand covered over very low heat for a few minutes. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and stir.

Serving

Serve the rice with canned fish hot.

Calories and macros

875 kcal

Serving ≈ 480 g

Protein39 g19% of kcal
Fat38 g41% of kcal
Carbs87 g41% of kcal

100 g182 kcalProtein 8.2 gFat 8 gCarbs 18.2 g

Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.

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