Risotto Crab Cakes

Cuisine: American

Inspiration: Earlier this week, we had a nice dinner of crab and shrimp risotto with some sauteed zucchini and a bottle of rose. With some leftover risotto and 4 oz of extra crabmeat in the refrigerator, it sounded fun to combine the two for a different take on a crab cake. Once I got the idea in my head, I had to try it out!

What we Loved: If I see a crab cake on a menu somewhere, I can almost guarantee that I’ll order it. One of my favorite restaurants in town is a Southwestern place that serves amazing blue cornmeal-crusted crab cakes with a pumpkin seed sauce that I can just never pass up. And risotto is another food that is very near the top of my list of the best things in life. So I knew that I would love the flavor combination of this meal, and I did! I was worried about how well the cakes would hold together when I was breading them and cooking them, but I had absolutely no problem with that. The risotto provided a nice, creamy base that held everything together. The end result was a creamy seafood cake with a really crispy crust. A little different, but really delicious.

Helpful Hints: I think that these would be even better with some more ingredients added to the mixture. Some finely diced roasted red peppers and a healthy bunch of chopped cilantro would have combined really well with the seafood risotto that I was using, but the great thing about this recipe is that you can adjust the add-ins based upon your preferences and based upon what kind of leftover risotto you’re using.

Similar Recipes: crab cakes, salmon cakes

Risotto Crab Cakes
Source: Original Recipe

Since this recipe uses leftovers, the amounts are not very specific. You can adjust everything to how much leftover risotto that you have on hand. I ended up being able to make five fairly large risotto cakes with what I had.

Leftover risotto, chilled in the refrigerator (mine was a crab and shrimp risotto recipe that I got from Annie’s Eats, with the parsley replaced with cilantro)
4 oz lump crabmeat (you can use more, if desired, based on how much leftover risotto you have)
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs, more if necessary
Extra virgin olive oil

1. Gently mix together the leftover risotto and the crab meat. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Place the egg in a second bowl, and the panko breadcrumbs in a third bowl.

3. Form the risotto mixture into patties. Dip the patties in the flour, then the egg, and then the breadcrumbs. Place the patties on a plate or in a baking dish, and chill covered in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

4. Heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a large saute pan, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the risotto cakes, and cook until they are crispy, approximately 5-8 minutes per side. Add more oil if necessary, and cook with a lid on the pan to ensure that the crab cakes heat through.

Chicken and Fontina Risotto

I know that I’ve said this before, but one of my favorite foods in life is risotto. I love it so much. If it weren’t filled with cheese and calories, I would make it much more often than I do. But as it is, I make it once in a long while, and I enjoy it so much every time. This version had a mixture of creamy fontina cheese, Parmesan, and grilled peppered chicken breasts, and it was fabulous. B liked it a lot particularly because it had slices of chicken and tasted more like a meal than other protein-less risottos that I’ve made, and I liked it because, well, it was risotto. I don’t have a lot more to say about this meal other than it was a nice and warm, cheesy, creamy, and delicious supper for a cold, snowy day. The fact that it is still cold and snowy in April….well, I won’t get into that.

Chicken and Fontina Risotto
Source: The Cynical Chef, originally from Food Network Magazine

I cut this recipe in half to serve two (still with quite a bit of leftovers!) and made a few minor changes. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

3 cups chicken broth
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 cup arborio rice
2 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed and finely minced
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
Kosher salt
1/2 cup Parmesan, finely grated
Black pepper
1/2 cup fontina, grated
1 chicken breast, seasoned with salt and pepper, grilled or sauteed, and sliced

1. Bring the broth and 1 cup of water to a simmer in a saucepan. Cover and keep warm on low heat and at a gentle simmer.

2. Heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a pot. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the rice and thyme, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring. Add the wine, and cook and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Season with salt.

3. Ladle in the hot broth, about 3/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly until all of the liquid is absorbed before adding more. Continue this process until the rice is tender, appoximately 25 minutes. Give the rice a taste to tell when it is ready.

4. When the rice is ready, turn off the heat and stir in the Parmesan, fontina, and black pepper. Fold in the grilled chicken slices and serve.

Smoked Gouda and Spinach Risotto

Any night that’s a risotto night is a good night in my book :) It’s one of my favorite foods to eat in the entire world. Maybe my favorite meal. I’ve only cooked it three times so far….a red wine risotto (very good), a shrimp and goat cheese risotto (awesome), and now this spinach and gouda risotto (also very good). I think I’m finding that I like risotto to be as creamy as possible, meaning that I like cheeses that melt really well (goat cheese works fabulously) and that I don’t like a lot of add-ins. Gouda cheese isn’t the greatest melting cheese, so this wasn’t as creamy as I would have liked, but it still tasted great. How could anything with smoked gouda not? The flavor of the spinach was pretty low key, so if you’re not a huge veggie fan, this might be a good way to sneak some in.

As an aside, B and I recently had risotto croquettes at one of our favorite restaurants. I believe they rolled a piece of mozzerella in risotto, breaded it, and fried it. So, so, so, so good.

Smoked Gouda and Spinach Risotto
Source: Adapted from RecipeZaar

I used the above recipe as inspiration, but I changed it around quite a bit. Here’s the recipe as I used it.

1 32 oz box chicken broth
Extra virgin olive oil
1 cup arborio rice
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 cup smoked gouda cheese, shredded
1 box frozen spinach (we only used half of the box)

1. Pour the chicken broth into a pan over low heat, cover, and let simmer very gently. Meanwhile, cook the frozen spinach according to package directions.

2. Drizzle some olive oil in a saute pan and add the shallots, cooking until they are translucent. Add the arborio rice and stir for 2-3 minutes to brown.

3. Decrease the heat to medium low and pour about 3/4 of the chicken broth into the rice mixture. Stir constantly until the liquid has evaporated, and then add another 3/4 cup. Continue this process until you have used all of the chicken broth, approximately 25 minutes. The liquid in the pan should always be at a low simmer. You don’t want the liquid to boil too quickly, evaporating before the rice has had a chance to cook, and you don’t want the liquid to be too stagnant, evaporating but not cooking the rice.

4. After the last of the broth has reduced, leaving the rice with a creamy consistency, remove the pan from the heat. Add in the cheese and 1/2 of the box of spinach. Mix well and serve with salt and pepper.

Shrimp and Goat Cheese Risotto

Risotto is one of my favorite meals. And goat cheese just may be my favorite food. This dish is wonderful. Creamy and cheesy, of course, and the shrimp adds a great, fresh seafood flavor. Yum.

Shrimp and Goat Cheese Risotto
Source: Adapted from Good Eats N’ Sweet Treats
http://good-eats-n-sweet-treats.blogspot.com/2008/02/shrimp-and-goat-cheese-risotto.html

Here’s the recipe with the changes we made:

1 quart of chicken stock
3/4 lb jumbo shrimp, tails removed
Extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1/3 cup soft goat cheese
2 T parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer. Add the shrimp, cover, and simmer over moderate heat until just cooked, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, immediately transfer the shrimp to a colander and run under cold water to cool. Cover the stock and keep it at a simmer.

2. In a saute pan, add a bit of olive oil. Add the onion and cook over low heat, stirring, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the rice and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until it is coated with oil and starting to brown. 

3. Add 1 scant cup of the simmering stock and cook, stirring constantly, until it is absorbed. Continue to add the stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly until it is absorbed. The risotto is done when the rice is tender but still slightly firm and creamy, about 25 minutes total.

4.Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the shrimp, basil, goat cheese, and parmesan. Season the risotto with salt and pepper and serve.