Saffron baked risoni with coral trout and rocket pesto

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 25 g butter
• 2 banana shallots, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 50 g nduja paste
• 300 g risoni
• A pinch saffron strands
• 600 ml chicken stock, plus more if required
• 300 g baby cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 thick centre cut fillets of coral trout, skin-on (around 160 g-180 g per fillet)
• Salt and black pepper

For the pesto

• 200 g rocket leaves, plus extra to serve
• 1 garlic clove
• 100 g pine nuts
• ½ small bunch basil, leaves picked
• 50 g parmesan cheese, finely grated
• about 300 ml olive oil (add more or less as you prefer!)
• 1 lemon, finely zested and juiced

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
2. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large, heavy-based frying pan. Add the shallots, garlic and nduja and cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant.
3. Add the risoni, saffron and chicken stock to the pan and bring to a simmer. Stir through the cherry tomatoes. Add the fish fillets, skin-side up, to the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then bake for 17-20 minutes, or until the fish and risoni are cooked and the stock has been absorbed.
4. Meanwhile, finely chop the rocket and garlic, then place into a mortar and pestle with the pine nuts, basil, parmesan, olive oil, lemon zest and juice and pound to a chunky pesto.
5. Once the fish and risoni are cooked, remove the pan from the oven. Spoon over the rocket pesto and sprinkle with a few extra rocket leaves and serve.

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