Arancini with Sea Bass and Pesto

Arancini with Sea Bass and Almond Pesto

I've always been intrigued by Arancini, little balls of leftover Risotto breaded and fried until golden. It took me until now to cook some and two things struck me...1. It was absolutely worth the wait and 2. Why have I not made these beauties before?! They do give off the impression that they'll be somewhat complicated or lots of hassle but they really aren't. To be honest, the ones I made are misshapen and slightly burnt in places but it doesnt seem to detract from their deliciousness at all!

I really wanted to make the Arancini and when I was trying to think of something to accompany them, I noticed that the fish monger's in Newbridge had a special on Sea Bass and I also wanted to start using up the mountain of homemade Pesto sitting in my fridge, all these elements came together beautifully!

This may sound like a lot of elements to prepare but none of it is very time consuming and everything cooks very quickly so you won't be spending hours over the stove. The Arancini are great served at room temperature so you can cook these first and then your Sea Bass. The Salad can be prepared before anything else and you can make your Pesto a week or two in advance if you wish! I didnt make a Salad Dressing as I didnt want to take from the Pesto and I also served two fillets of Sea Bass per person as they were quite small, if they are larger then one per person should suffice.

Homemade Almond Pesto

40g Basil Leaves

50g Almonds (Peeled and Toasted)

1 Clove Garlic

25g Pecorino Romano/Parmesan (Grated)

120ml Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Put the Basil, Toasted Almonds and Garlic into a Pestle and Mortar with some Sea Salt and bash into a fine Paste. Add the Cheese and slowly pour in the Oil, stirring all the time, Taste and add Sea Salt and Pepper if required.

For a more traditional Pesto, replace the Almonds with Pine Nuts. This is a really tasty Pesto that works great on almost anything. It will keep for a few weeks in the fridge but make sure you keep a layer of Olive Oil on top to stop the air from getting to it. For an alternative Pesto recipe click here.

For the Salad

1/2 Ramiro Red Pepper (sliced)

1 Plum Tomato (sliced, then roughly chopped)

10 Radishes (5 quartered, 5 thinly sliced)

1 Baby Gem Lettuce (roughly pulled apart and torn)

 

For the Arancini

400g leftover Risotto of any kind (I had Chorizo and Veg)

40g Pecorino/Parmesan

4 Eggs (beaten)

100g Dried White Breadcrumbs*

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Vegetable Oil for Deep/Shallow Frying*

For the Sea Bass

Sea Bass Fillets (I served 2 per person)

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper 

4tbsp Rapeseed Oil

1tbsp Pesto per person.

1. Prepare your Salad, mix well and leave in the fridge until needed. Put the Risotto into a large bowl and add the Cheese, 2 beaten Eggs, a little Sea Salt and Pepper. Mix well with wet hands and shape into balls slightly smaller than golf balls, you should get about 15-16. Put into the fridge to firm up for about half an hour.

2. Prepare your Sea Bass by seasoning the skin well with Sea Salt and Pepper and allow to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, Put the other two beaten eggs on one plate and the breadcrumbs on another. Season the breadcrumbs and mix well. Roll the Arancini in the egg and then the breadcrumbs and Deep or Shallow Fry* for 5 or 6 mins until golden and crispy before draining on some Kitchen Paper. Leave to one side while you cook the Sea Bass.

3. In a clean pan, Heat the Oil until almost smoking and add the Sea Bass Fillets, skin side down. Season the top and cook until almost finished (until the top is going white) before flipping them and cooking for 30s-1 minute on the flesh side, remove from the pan and plate up!

4. Start by putting a 1/4 of the salad on each plate and topping each one with 1/2tbsp of Pesto, lay the Sea Bass Fillets on top and smear these with the other 1/2tbsp of Pesto. Serve with the Arancini.

*I Shallow Fried my Arancini and wouldn't do it again. They lost their shape very quickly and although I enjoyed their rustic look, I feel that deep frying would be the better option.

*If you haven't got dried white breadcrumbs, simply put a few slices of white bread into a food processor and pulse until fine. Spread on a baking tray and put into the oven at about 70-80 deg until dried, an hour or so should do it. Keep in an airtight container.