Creamy Seafood Risotto

Name: Seafood Risotto: Classic Italian Recipe with Arborio Rice
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Italian cuisine
Ingredients: Rice (Arborio) 1 cup (180 g); Vegetable broth or seafood cooking liquid 0.8-1 l; Seafood 200 g; Onion 1; Pickled gherkins 3-4; Basil 1 sprig; Olive oil 2 tbsp; Parmesan 30 g; Salt 2-3 g; Black pepper to taste

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45 mins

Seafood risotto is a superb and wholesome Italian dish. It is amazing how easy it is to make, and how full it keeps you until your last meal of the day.

Risotto literally means “little rice”, and it is one of the best-known dishes of northern Italy. Risotto has been around for a long time, although the first mention of it dates from the century before last. The technique differs from region to region, first of all in how the rice is fried. Different fats are used: olive oil, butter or even chicken fat. Then liquid is added gradually, most often broth, and only at the very end, when the rice is almost done, comes the “filling” that actually gives the risotto its name.

Very often, to give risotto a special creaminess and the looseness Italians call “the wave”, all’onda, Pecorino or Parmesan is added to the finished risotto, or butter whipped with the same cheese.

Seafood is an ideal filling for risotto. Thanks to its high protein content and low calories, the combination of rice and seafood makes a perfect dish. Italians pair rice and seafood beautifully, creating exceptional and varied dishes.

The main rules (rice, hot broth, stirring) I described separately, in the recipe for how to make risotto. Individual seafood also makes great risotto: mussel risotto and shrimp risotto.

More with seafood and rice

Mexican-Style Seafood Rice

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Shrimp Risotto with Vegetables

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Shrimp Risotto with Peeled Shrimp

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Ingredients

2 servings

Rice (Arborio) 1 cup (180 g)
Vegetable broth or seafood cooking liquid 0.8-1 l
Seafood 200 g
Onion 1
Pickled gherkins 3-4
Basil 1 sprig
Olive oil 2 tbsp
Parmesan 30 g
Salt 2-3 g
Black pepper to taste

Step-by-step recipe

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To make risotto you need Italian rice with a high starch content, such as Arborio.
A frozen mix of shrimp, mussels, squid, octopus and so on works very well for seafood risotto.
Boil the frozen seafood mix in lightly salted water for 1 minute from the moment it comes to a boil, then immediately rinse it under cold running water. The cooking liquid, which is often recommended for cooking the risotto further, is better poured out.
Frozen seafood is usually farmed rather than caught at sea, and the liquid it cooks in does not look very appetizing. By the way, a packaged and frozen “seafood cocktail” very often already contains cooked seafood, and the package says so. In that case it is enough to pour boiling water over the mix and thaw it.
Peel and finely chop the onion. Fry it in olive oil until soft and nicely golden. Do not overfry the onion, or the dish will have an off taste.
Add the rice to the onion and fry it for 1-2 minutes, stirring. The rice should be coated with a film of oil. Add 1/2 cup of vegetable broth (100 ml) or seafood cooking liquid, if you decided to use it.
Dry wine is usually recommended as the first portion of liquid, but that is optional. Cook the rice until the first portion of liquid is completely absorbed. Add a pinch of salt and some pepper.
Add the next portion of liquid only after the previous one is completely absorbed. Repeat until the rice is almost done. One cup of starchy rice (180 g) can absorb three or more cups of liquid. The finished risotto should be about as thick as ordinary porridge, or a little thicker.
1-2 minutes before the rice is done, add the gherkins. Chop the pickled gherkins very finely or mince them with a knife. Gherkins, by the way, can be replaced with capers; 1 tbsp is enough. Gherkins are often used as a cheap substitute for capers.
Add the prepared seafood to the almost-finished rice, stir and cook for no more than 1-2 minutes, or the seafood will turn tough.
Grind the basil leaves and grated Parmesan in a blender. You get a nearly dry, fragrant cheese mix of a pleasant green color. Sprinkle the finished seafood risotto with the Parmesan and basil mix and stir.
Put the seafood risotto on plates and garnish with a sprig of basil. Serve immediately, without waiting for it to cool.