Low Carb Calamari & Prosecco Risotto is a yummy, nutritious take on the Italian Classic recipe “Risotto ai Calamari”.
A truly fine dining keto experience you don’t want to miss. This recipe is for one very large main course portion, with 12.5g net carbs, or two starter servings, with 6g net carbs.
Cauliflower ‘rice’ is key. But I promise that you’ll hardly be able to detect it. And if you think that using wine in cooking is a terrible waste of good alcohol, oh well… never mind 😀
This dish is very easy and very quick, as prepping is minimal. If you can buy pre-riced cauliflower and squid that’s already been prepared, you’ll have a delicious plate of CLEAN KETO food ready in less than 30 minutes. Otherwise, yes, you’ll have to faff a bit with the cauliflower and you’ll need to get the squid ready yourself. Both of which are simple jobs, although a little finicky.
Prepping the Squid
Firstly, try to find European squid (Loligo Vulgaris). If you’re in Italy – you’re in luck. If you’re elsewhere – might not be so easy. There are many sub-species, but the European squid is particularly succulent.
Choose the smallest squid, as they’ll be more tender. And if possible, go for fresh, rather than previously frozen.
Any fishmonger worth his salt should know how to clean a squid. It takes seconds and it’s pretty easy, but you need to know what you’re doing. Below is a YouTube video showing exactly how it’s done. Three things I do differently: I don’t bother turning it inside out. I don’t slice the tentacles. I discard the wings on larger squid, as they’re tougher.
My tip: use disposable gloves to avoid fishy hands, and/or if you don’t like touching raw fish.
Once your squid is prepped, simply cut across the body to create rings. And please, DO NOT THROW AWAY the tentacles – they are the best part!!!!
Making Cauliflower ‘Rice’
Nowadays, most grocery shops sell ready-to-cook riced cauliflower, either fresh or frozen. But it’s usually over-priced and not the best quality. As long as you have a food processor or a blender, you can make your own in minutes.
Start with any size cauliflower head that’s white or cream and without any spotting. Remove the base stalk and green leaves by cutting upwards at an angle until it comes away. Now you’ll have access to the florets. Cut them away, removing as much stalk as possible. Put a few at a time in your machine and pulse 2-3 times until the florets become crumbs. Don’t rush this. Blitzing too many florets at once will result in some crumbs and some pulp, which you don’t want.
That’s all there is to it. I usually weigh 200-250g portions and put them in zip-lock bags in the freezer, ready for future use.
How to Make Low Carb Calamari & Prosecco Risotto
Speed is of the essence for this recipe. Dilly-dally and you’ll either overcook the squid – making it rubbery and unpleasant., or the rice – turning it to mash. So, to avoid ruining this gorgeous meal, weigh and set out everything you need. Prep your table, too. There really is no time for faffying.
I’m pretty sure you don’t need my encouragement… 😀 … but I highly suggest you serve this meal with an ice-cold glass of Prosecco. Which, incidentally, is the best alcohol choice when it comes to carbs.
Enjoy!
- Yield: 1
- Serving: 1 large portion
- Calories: 831
- Fat: 66g
- Net Carbs: 12.5g
- Protein: 40g
- 200g squid/calamari (cleaned weight) or 400g whole
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- ½ small shallot (minced)
- 30g (2 TBSP) tinned chopped tomatoes or Italian passata
- 15g (1 TBSP) extra virgin olive oil (U.S. option HERE)
- 50g Prosecco (dry or extra dry)
- 100g 35% fat cream (see notes below)
- 15g unsalted butter
- 2 tsp broth granules or ½ cube (crumbed)
- ¼ tsp fine Himalayan pink salt (U.S. option HERE)
- 200g riced raw cauliflower
- 5g (a small handful) of fresh parsley leaves
- ¼ tsp paprika
- freshly ground black pepper
- (optional) a sprinkle of chilli powder or dry flakes
- rinse and cut the cleaned squid (use food grade disposable gloves - U.S. option HERE) and set aside - watch the video I supplied if you're unsure.
- place olive oil, butter, chopped tomatoes or passata, minced garlic and shallot in a heavy-base frying pan and bring to a simmer.
- after 30 seconds, add wine and continue to simmer for 2 minutes.
- add riced cauliflower and stir until all the liquid has been absorbed (10-15 seconds), then add cream, broth granules, salt and squid.
- stir in black pepper and paprika (plus chilli if using).
- let the risotto simmer over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.
- chop parsley and add it to the risotto after turning the heat off.
- let the risotto sit for a couple of minutes and serve.
Choose the smallest Lolito Vulgaris squid. Once cooked it will be either tender (if bought fresh) or crunchy (if previously frozen). Other varieties, or overcooking, will result in a rubbery, chewy texture that is quite unpleasant.
You can buy ready cauliflower 'rice' or make your own: just put a few fresh florets in a food processor or blender and pulse until crumbed, then repeat, a few florets at a time (too many at once will become pulp).
You can mix 70g double/heavy cream + 30g water to replace the 35% fat cream.
Any dry white wine will be fine if you don't have Prosecco.
The best way to ensure accurate measurement of ingredients is with Metric Kitchen Scales. They are inexpensive and take up very little space. Click HERE for the ones I use. For U.S. option click HERE.
Very nice!