Risotto al Persico Reale

Method

1. Clean and fillet the fish, removing the skin and bones. Reserve the carcass and head for the broth.
2. Cut the fillets into pieces (leave whole if small). Lightly flour them and set aside.
3. Chop half an onion, 70 g carrot, and 70 g celery into large pieces for the broth. Crush one garlic clove.
4. In a pot, add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the fish bones and head, sauté until browned. Add the chopped vegetables and garlic, season with salt, and cook briefly.
5. Deglaze with a little white wine, then add 1.5 L of water. Cover and simmer over low heat for 40 minutes from when it starts boiling.
6. Strain the broth, taste, adjust salt, and keep warm.
7. Toast 300 g carnaroli rice in a dry pan until the grains become translucent and fragrant. Set aside.
8. Finely chop the remaining quarter of onion.
9. In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt a knob of butter (from the 100 g total) over very low heat. Add the finely chopped onion and soften for 1–2 minutes.
10. Add the toasted rice and stir to coat with the butter. Increase the heat to medium-high.
11. Deglaze with the rest of the white wine. Let the alcohol evaporate.
12. Add about 5 ladles of hot fish broth to the rice. Stir gently, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding broth as needed, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes less than the package's suggested cooking time.
13. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, melt the remaining butter (from the 100 g) over very low heat. When melted, shake excess flour from the fish fillets and add them to the butter together with the sage leaves. Cook until golden and crispy on both sides. Remove the fillets and set aside, reserving the brown butter in the pan.
14. When the risotto is almost ready (still slightly liquid), add a little of the reserved brown butter from the fish. Stir vigorously to cream the risotto. Remove from heat and continue stirring on the work surface.
15. Add a bit more of the brown butter if desired, then cover and let the risotto rest for 2 minutes.
16. Plate the risotto. Arrange the fish fillets on top, add some sage leaves, and season with a pinch of salt.