Seafood Risotto
This recipe actually comes from my friend Michael who prides himself on his risotto skills. He feels the error that most people make when cooking risotto is that they go overboard on the stirring and end up with a gummy blob. Risotto is supposed to be creamy with distinct grains of rice not a mushy mass of overcooked, over-stirred starch. What makes risotto break down, as with all starchy foods, is the release of starch from the rice as it is stirred. Michael prefers to just stir enough to keep it from burning on the bottom. If you like you can add scallops, small clams or any other seafood to the risotto.
Recipe Notes
Michael’s Technique: The conventional advice for risotto is to stir constantly, but Michael disagrees — and he has a point. Over-stirring breaks down the rice and releases too much starch, turning the dish into a gummy, homogenous mass. His approach is to stir just enough to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. The result is risotto with a creamy consistency but distinct, separate grains — which is how it should be.
The Rice: This recipe calls for vialone nano, which is actually the preferred rice for seafood risotto in Venice and the Veneto region. It is slightly smaller than arborio and absorbs liquid differently, producing a looser, more flowing consistency that works beautifully with seafood. Arborio works fine as a substitute if you can’t find vialone nano.
The Stock: Use fish stock if you can get it — it reinforces the seafood flavor throughout the dish. A good quality chicken stock works as well. Keep it warm in a separate pot the entire time you are cooking. Adding cold stock slows the cooking and affects the texture.
The Seafood: Squid and shrimp are the base here, but the recipe is flexible. Scallops, small clams, or mussels are all good additions. If adding clams or mussels, cook them separately until they open and add the meat along with the squid and shrimp in step 4.
The Wine: A splash of dry white wine after the rice is toasted is a standard risotto step — it adds depth and a slight acidity that balances the richness of the butter and cheese. Let it absorb fully before adding the stock.
Cheese on Seafood: Yes, Parmigiano goes in this risotto even though it’s a seafood dish. The traditional Italian rule about no cheese on seafood pasta does not apply the same way to risotto — the cheese is stirred in at the end as part of the mantecatura and becomes part of the creamy base rather than sitting on top.
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Seafood Risotto
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6-8 1x
Ingredients
- 2 quarts hot chicken or fish stock
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 pound vialone nano or arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/2 pound clean squid (calamari) with tentacles, bodies cut into 1/3 to 1/2-inch-thick rings
- 1/2 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
- Salt
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring the stock to a simmer.
- Meanwhile, in a large heavy bottomed pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the rice and warm for about 2 minutes. Warming the rice will prepare it to absorb the stock.
- When the rice starts to become translucent, add the wine and stir until absorbed. Then add just enough stock to completely cover the rice with an inch of stock. Stir the rice and return the stock to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the stock is lightly boiling. Stir the rice from time to time to make sure it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. If the rice sticks, reduce the heat a bit. As the stock gets absorbed, add more — do not let the rice become too dry. Risotto should take about 25 minutes to become soft and most of the stock should be used.
- About 15 minutes into cooking the rice, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the squid and shrimp and cook, stirring, until the squid are opaque, about 5 minutes.
- After about 20 minutes begin to taste the rice. Risotto is ready when the rice grains are soft but still a little firm to the bite — not mushy and not chalky. When the rice is ready, add the seafood and cook 2 minutes more.
- Stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and the Parmigiano-Reggiano until well mixed. Transfer to serving plates and serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
