Prawn Risotto
Arborio rice cooked slowly in prawn-flavoured stock with white wine, finished with raw prawns, lemon and parsley.
Photograph credit: Risotto, prawns by DanielaElenaTentis · Pixabay Content License · Pixabay
Make Ahead and Storage
Best eaten straight away. Do not keep shellfish leftovers.
How to Make Prawn Risotto
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Peel the prawns and keep them in the fridge. Fry the shells in the oil for 3 minutes, add the stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and keep hot.
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Soften the onion in the 30 g of butter for 6 minutes, then stir in the rice for 2 minutes.
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Add the wine and let it bubble away, then add the hot stock a ladle at a time for about 18 minutes.
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Stir in the prawns and salt for 3 minutes until pink.
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Off the heat stir in the cold butter, lemon zest and parsley and rest for 2 minutes.
A Few Pointers
- Use the shells for stock.
- Add the stock slowly.
- Add the prawns at the end.
- Rest it before serving.
Behind the Recipe
Make the stock from the prawn shells. That is the most useful instruction, because shells are free, and the stock they make is what turns an ordinary risotto into a seafood one.
Fry the shells in a little oil for 3 minutes until they turn pink and smell sweet, add the stock and simmer for 10 minutes, then strain. Soften the onion in the butter, stir in the rice for 2 minutes, add the wine and let it vanish. Add the hot stock a ladle at a time. The rice releases its starch slowly as you stir, and that is what makes it creamy.
After about 18 minutes the rice should be tender with a slight bite. Stir in the raw prawns and cook for 3 minutes, until they are pink and just firm.
Off the heat, add the butter, lemon zest and parsley, and rest for 2 minutes. Cheese is not usual with seafood, so leave it off.
Good Alongside
Rocket salad · Crusty bread · Lemon wedges · Dry white wine
Swaps and Variations
- A dry vermouth keeps for longer than an open bottle of white wine and is the closer swap than a random white left in the fridge; for an alcohol-free version, use the same amount of stock with a squeeze of lemon.
Prawn Risotto Nutrition Facts
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. The calories include 3 g of alcohol a serving, which is not part of the protein, carbohydrate or fat. How the figures are worked out.
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .
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