What says holiday in the Med more than squid ink? Dramatic, luxurious and designed to impress, our Venetian Risotto will take you straight to the gondola.

Delicate flaky cod and tart lemon juice pair with a simple to cook arborio rice base. Stir in the squid ink, don your eye mask and savour the opulence.

Got a friend who was supposed to strolling the Venetian streets this summer? Share the delicious flavours of this romantic city with them. 

Ingredients (serves 2)

1 lemon

1 brown onion

160g arborio rice

2 garlic cloves

2 x 110g cod fillets

1 knorr vegetable stock cube

20g wild rocket

4g squid ink

Butter

Olive oil

Salt

Vegetable oil

Method

Step 1: Boil a kettle before peeling and dicing the brown onion[s]. Heat a large, wide-based pan with a generous drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat. Once hot, add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 4-5 min or until softened.

Step 2: Meanwhile, peel and finely slice (don’t chop!) the garlic. Dissolve the Knorr vegetable stock cube[s] in 700ml [1.3L] boiled water. Once the onion has softened, add the sliced garlic and arborio rice and cook for 1-2 min or until coated in the oil and lightly toasted (known in Italian as tostatura!)

Step 3: Once the rice has toasted, add the vegetable stock, a ladle at a time, then add the squid ink. Stir continuously for 20-25 min or until all the stock has been absorbed and the rice is cooked with a slight bite (this is known as al denté!) Add a splash more water and keep cooking if the rice needs more time. While the rice is cooking, cut the lemon[s] in half.

Step 4: Once the rice has been cooking for 15-20 mins, heat a separate, large, wide-based pan with a knob of butter and a drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the cod fillets to the pan and cook for 4 mins, carefully flipping once halfway through. Season with a pinch of salt. Tip: Your fish is cooked once it flakes easily!

Step 5: Once the rice is cooked, stir through a generous knob of butter and the juice of 1/2 lemon – this is your risotto with squid ink. Wash and drain the wild rocket, cut the remaining lemon into wedges.

Step 6: Serve the pan-fried cod over the risotto and garnish with rocket and a lemon wedge. Drizzle the rocket with a little olive oil. Buon appetito!