Tony’s Take on Jambalaya Risotto at White Wine & Butter

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp Salted Perfection ABILENE (divided use)
• 4 Chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
• 2 cups Duck fat or neutral oil (for confit)
• 1 lb Gator tail meat (or Andouille sausage), diced into small 'pebbles'
• 1/2 lb Shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1.5 cups Carolina Gold rice (or Arborio)
• 1/2 cup Vegetable oil (for roux)
• 1/2 cup All-purpose flour
• 1 Onion, finely diced
• 1 Green bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 Celery stalks, finely diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup Dry white wine
• 5 cups Chicken stock, kept hot
• 2 tbsp Unsalted butter, cold
• 2 Scallions, sliced on the bias (for garnish)
• 1 tsp Smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp Dried thyme

Instructions

1. First, the Confit. Preheat oven to 300°F. Season chicken thighs with 1 tsp of Salted Perfection ABILENE. Submerge them in an oven-safe pot with the duck fat/oil. Bake for 2-2.5 hours until tender but not falling apart. Remove carefully and pat dry. (Do this ahead of time if possible).
2. The 'Gator Crumbles'. In a skillet over medium-high heat, fry the diced gator (or andouille) in a little confit fat until dark, crispy, and popcorn-like. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain. Keep the flavorful fat in the pan.
3. The Gumbo Base. In a heavy pot (Dutch oven), heat the 1/2 cup oil over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until the roux reaches a dark chocolate color (approx 15-20 mins). Do not burn it.
4. Add the 'Trinity' (onion, celery, pepper) to the hot roux. It will sizzle aggressively. Cook 4 minutes until soft. Add minced garlic, smoked paprika, cayenne, and thyme. Cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the hot chicken stock to create a thin, flavorful gumbo broth. Keep this simmering.
5. The Risotto Technique. In a separate wide pan, heat 2 tbsp of reserved confit fat. Add the rice and toast for 2 minutes until edges are translucent. Deglaze with white wine and stir until evaporated.
6. Ladle the hot gumbo broth into the rice, one cup at a time, stirring frequently. Wait for the liquid to absorb before adding the next ladle. Continue until rice is tender but has a slight bite (al dente), about 18 minutes.
7. Finish Strong. While rice finishes, sear the confit chicken skin-side down in a hot skillet until the skin shatters like glass. In the same pan, quickly sear shrimp with a pinch of ABILENE.
8. Mount the risotto with cold butter and 1 tsp Salted Perfection ABILENE. Stir vigorously to emulsify. The lime in the salt will brighten the dark sauce.
9. Plate it: Mound the dark risotto. Crown with the crispy chicken thigh. Scatter shrimp and gator crumbles around the 'moat'. Top with scallions. DUNZO!