As many of you know, Sheila is one of my favorite restaurants in Israel. If you haven't caught the article at The Washington Post, you can read it here. In addition to the recipes that appeared in The Washington Post, I was fortunate enough that Sharon, Chef Cohen that is, shared with me, one of my all time favorite restaurant dishes, his green risotto recipe. Here, I am happy to share it with you. It's absolutely phenomenal.
Sheila 182 Ben Yehuda St., Tel Aviv. 03-522-1224
Daily Catch:
Red Drum Fish Fillet on Green Basil and Spinach Risotto
Recipe by Chef
Sharon Cohen, Sheila Restaurant, Tel Aviv
4 servings
(30 min prep
time)
½ kg
(1.012lbs) Arborio rice
100 gr
(3.527oz) butter
1 cup good
white wine
Approximately
1 ½ liters (6 cups) hot fish stock*
5 fresh sage
leaves
5 garlic
cloves, peeled and sliced
1 medium
onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced (half moons)
½ cup grated
parmesan
Salt to
taste
4
tablespoons mascarpone cheese
10 blanched
asparagus, halved and sliced into half lengthwise
20 blanched
string beans, sliced lengthwise
100 grams
(3.527oz) mussels (optional)
200 grams (7.054oz) calamari, sliced into rings (optional)
2
tablespoons lemon
4
tablespoons of basil and spinach puree ingredients:
Small bunch
of basil, leaves only
70 grams (approx 2.5oz) fresh
spinach leaves
Basil
spinach puree directions:
In boiling
water blanch basil and spinach leaves for 1-2 minutes, drain and puree to a
smooth consistency
Asparagus
and beans directions:
Blanch
asparagus and beans in boiling water for two minutes and remove to an ice bath.
Risotto
Directions: (entire process shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes)
In a wide pot with a heavy base, melt the butter on medium
heat and sauté onions until soft but do not caramelize onions and butter. Add
the sliced garlic and sage leaves and continue sweating for a couple more
minutes.
Add the rice and mix with a wooden spoon until rice is
translucent. Make sure the rice does not caramelize and get crispy. Add a cup
of wine while constantly mixing. When the wine reduces, add gradually the stock
while mixing and reduce. Cook the rice at all times on medium and make sure
there is always liquid in it bubbling on a gentle bubble.
2-3 minutes before the risotto is done, add the calamari and
mussels. 1 minute before the risotto is done, cover the pot with a lid to allow
the mussels to open. Keep covered for a minute, take lid off, make sure all
mussels are open and then add the mascarpone, basil/spinach puree, asparagus
and beans and mix. Take off the heat, add lemon and parmesan and mix. The green
risotto popping into the mussels looks beautiful. Taste and adjust for salt.
Fish:
Ingredients:
4 6 oz fish fillets with skin on, Red Drum or
other firm white fish
Salt to
taste
Fresh thyme
leaves
Black pepper
to taste
20 gr
(0.705oz) butter
Directions:
Coat the
fish fillet well with salt, pepper and a few thyme leaves. Heat up a
heavy frying pan, melt the butter and warm up butter on high heat until it
turns golden. Add the fish fillets skin side down and sear for 20 seconds until
golden on high heat. Turn down heat to low and continue cooking skin side down
for another minute. Turn fish to flesh side down and sear on high heat for 20
seconds until golden. Remove from pan into a plate.
If fish
isn’t cooked through put in a preheated 400F oven for 2-4 minutes.
Note:
The basil/spinach puree, blanching the asparagus and beans and cooking the fish
fillet can be done while the risotto is cooking. The total cooking time is 30 minutes if working simultaneously on different components of the dish.
Plating
Red Drum fish fillet on Green Basil and Spinach Risotto
In four
separate plates, scoop the seafood risotto evenly. Place a fish fillet on the
risotto and serve.
*Fish stock
can be made in advance by adding fish bones, heads and tails to boiling water
with celery, carrots, onions, garlic, thyme. parsley and salt. Sharon of Sheila
Restaurant also adds some grated tomatoes to the stock. Sharon’s tip: do not cook the stock
longer than 40 minutes. You could also find excellent ready-made fish stock in
your market aisles.
Mouthwatering! A perfect combination.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Rosa
TY Rosa. It is really something.
DeleteOh you have me drooling with this dish. Love it!
ReplyDeleteTY Bri, Me too at the thought of it! :)
Deletemy lunch time :) yumm!!
ReplyDeletexo
Yep. We had it 4 lunch twice when visiting Israel.:)
DeleteAdoring this dish - Fish and risotto . divine Shulie and thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThx Meeta. Was really sensational.
DeleteBeautiful and Delicious.
ReplyDeleteTY! :)
DeleteGreen basil and spinach risotto sounds divine. I bet the flavor of the the fish was incredible. Delicious dinner idea:)
ReplyDeleteTY Lora, it was, freshly caught that morning, unbelievably fresh.
DeleteThat's one elegant looking dish! I love the addition of spinach risotto! Yum!
ReplyDeleteTY Kiran. Yep that resto does a spectacular job in flavor combination and presentation. Super delicious and local.:)
DeleteWhat a gorgeous plating and the food looks so appetizing!! I love your pan too. :) We eat fish quite often, but never had it with basil spinach risotto. It looks very beautiful and it's perfect dish for small dinner get together.
ReplyDeleteTY Nami this was at the restaurant in Israel. Was so beautiful that I went the next day to photograph, so they plated it especially for the shoot, but they serve the dish this way on any regular day too! The day before I ate at the bar there, was closer to the kitchen so I could peek in and was easier for the chef to come in and out of the kitchen and talk to me. I couldn't leave Israel w/o capturing it.:)
DeleteI like this type of dishes, they're two in one. The fish stand alone and so does the risotto, but when these flavors are combined, you get a new wonderful flavor.
ReplyDeleteThe dish looks really good, and the way the fish was cooked didn't takeaway it's shape nor look. Amazing!
TY. I know, right?! I think cooking the fish that way is a talent on its own. The simplicity but you got to get it right technique! It's challenging for me not to let the skin stick to the pan. Obvious this is professionally done! :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful dish Shulie. I've never heard of Drum Fish, I need to check that out for sure.
ReplyDeleteTY Heather. Let me know if you find it & how do you like it? You can substitute any fish really! :)
DeleteThis meal is fit for royalty! I love everything about it...just reading the ingredients for the risotto is making my mouth water :)
ReplyDeleteTY Liz. I am just like you I read ingredients in a post! :)
Deletelooks amazing and congrats on the washington post article thats so cool
ReplyDeleteTY Rebecca!
DeleteThat risotto sounds amazing. I can't wait to get in the kitchen and try it. Beautiful plate of food!
ReplyDeleteTY Maureen! I agree, beautiful plating by the restaurant! :)
DeleteThis is a beauty. And I have just enough basil hanging on to do this!
ReplyDeleteOoh Claudia. Let me know how it turns out? :)
DeleteI don't like the buttery mantecato, but mascarpone could make a good substitute. Has to be tried.
ReplyDeleteTY Mette. Good point! :)
ReplyDeleteYou made me drool here and I am loving the idea of spinach risotto!
ReplyDeleteFantastic flavor combination! Fish is always my first choice when it comes to it. Thank you for a great recipe. :)
ReplyDeleteGorgeous risotto, I love the basil and spinach!
ReplyDeleteHi Shulie! =)
ReplyDeletethat looks so mouth watering, I wouldn't mind a bite right now. I dont really make nice risottos, just havent got the hang for it yet and my husband is't that much of a fan for this type of rice dish. I want to get better at making it though, so I ll make yours once when my husband isn't coming home for dinner.
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!
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