Traditionally, arancini are made using the rice leftover from last night’s risotto dinner. They are basically rice balls, 8 to 10 cm in diameter, which are breaded and fried. Our arancini are made with the meat of snow crabs that are caught along the Îles de la Madeleine coastline. An Italian culinary specialty with a Magdalen Islands twist.
Ingredients
For the crab risotto
- 1 finely chopped onion
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 30 ml (2 tbsp.) of olive oil
- 250 ml (1 cup) of Arborio rice
- 250 ml (1 cup) of white wine
- 1 litre (4 cups) of chicken broth, heated
- 225 g (½ lb) of crab meat
For the breadcrumb coating
- 60 ml (¼ cup) of unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 310 ml (1 ¼ cup) of breadcrumbs
- Peanut oil for frying
- Salt and pepper
For spicy mayo
- Japanese mayonnaise (or regular mayonnaise), to taste
- Smoked paprika, to taste
Direction
- In a sauce pan, soften the onion and garlic in oil. Add salt and pepper. Add in rice and cook for 1 minute while stirring to ensure rice is well coated. Deglaze with wine and continue cooking at medium heat, stirring often, until liquid is completely absorbed.
- Add the heated broth, 250 ml (1 cup) at a time, stirring often, until liquid is completely absorbed between each added cup of broth.
- After approximately 25 minutes of cooking, the rice should be tender and the broth completely absorbed. Add in the crab meat and stir. Add nutmeg and adjust the seasoning.
- Spread the risotto on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap. Let cool, then refrigerate for approximately 2 hours or until completely cold.
- Preheat oil in deep fryer to 190 °C (375 °F). Line a baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels.
- Put the flour in a soup plate, the eggs in another plate and the breadcrumbs in a third.
- Using a spoon, scoop up approximately 15 ml (1 tbsp.) of risotto for each arancini and shape into a ball with your hands. Dust the balls with flour and shake off any loose flour. Dip the balls into the egg mixture, remove any excess egg and coat with breadcrumbs.
- Deep fry about 8 balls at a time, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Drain on the plate. Serve in little brown paper bags.