Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Seafood Risotto


One of my favorite things about cooking is that moment when you finally make the meal you loved in a restaurant at home and it tastes just as good, if not better than the professional version.  I'm adding this seafood risotto to my "restaurant quality" list.

Prior to making this dish, I had risotto less than five times in my life.  One, a lobster risotto, was excellent and the others were mediocre.  Risotto is creamy Italian rice dish that actually doesn't include much dairy.  The creaminess comes from slowly stirring the arborio rice while slowly adding hot liquid.  The result should be a creamy rice base flavored with anything from vegetables to seafood.  Unfortunately, many risottos taste more like plain rice and I was worried that mine would fail as well.

The most annoying thing about risotto is that you need to stir it for 30 minutes straight.  That's right.  Thirty boring minutes of standing over a hot stove with a wooden spoon.  I strongly suggest you enlist a friend or loved one to help with this one.  It got old quick.


In spite of all my concerns, this risotto was impressive.  Since I made it myself it had a lot more seafood than I would get from any restaurant.  Every bite was loaded with decent chunks of scallops and shrimp.  If you try this recipe, be ready to serve it immediately after it's finished.  It tastes best when it's fresh.

This is yet another recipe from Josie at Pink Parsley.  She has great taste!

Seafood Risotto
slightly modified by Keeley, based on the Pink Parsley version

1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup minced onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and ground black pepper
2/3 cup Arborio rice
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 cup dry white wine
8 jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed, each cut into 3 pieces
6 ounces bay scallops (about 1 cup scallops)
1 tomato, cored, seeded, and chopped
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
lemon wedges, for serving

Combine the chicken broth and clam juice in a medium heat proof bowl. Cover, and microwave until hot, 1 to 3 minutes.

Melt 1 Tablespoon of the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions have softened, 1-3 minutes. Stir in the rice and tumeric and cook until the ends of the rice are transparent, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook until it is completely absorbed, 1-2 minutes.

Add 1 cup of the hot broth mixture and simmer, stirring frequently, until all the liquid has absorbed, and the bottom of the pan is almost dry. This will take close to 10 minutes.

Adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, and stir until almost all the liquid has been absorbed between each addition. Be careful not to let the bottom of the pan dry out. Continue to stir often, and repeat until the rice is al dente, about 10-15 minutes. You may not use all the broth. I just began tasting after about 10 minutes, and kept adding broth and stirring until it was done.

Vigorously stir in the remaining 1 Tablespoon of butter until it has melted. Gently fold in the shrimp, scallops, tomatoes, basil, and 1/3 cup of the broth mixture. Cover the skillet, reduce heat to low, and cook until the seafood is cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir once halfway through cooking. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

6 comments:

  1. OMG this looks amazing! We served this at our wedding and it was quickly a favorite dish. I'd love to steal this and give it a try sometime soon! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. This look SO goooood!!! I've NEVER had risotto before and I'd be damned if I was going to try it and cook it myself for the first time. This looks so easy tho (aside from having to stir for 30 minutes straight..lol) I think I'm going to try this one :-)

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  3. This looks really yummy. I will definitely be back to check out what's next.

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  4. I'm going to have to second what create.Snap.Eat said- cause this looks so good. My husband is a risotto lover and I'm sure he'd be pleased if I made this.

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  5. I've made risotta several times and love it but need a few months to recoup from all the stirring. It's about time again for another go at it. I'll be back for your recipe. :) Looks GOOD!
    ~ingrid

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