Traditional Lemon Shrimp Risotto

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Lemon shrimp risotto is a delicate sophisticated dish you can serve at a special dinner party. Its lemony flavor combined with the sweetness of the shrimps makes this dish the perfect light entry for a seafood dinner or a main for a formal luncheon. This is a traditional risotto recipe, no shortcuts!

Jump to:

• What is lemon shrimp risotto
• Ingredients
• What you should NOT do
• Cooking shrimp with or without shells
• How to make it
• How to serve it
• What to serve with it
• Substitution for shrimps
• Lemon risotto without seafood
• Other ways to serve risotto
• 📋Lemon Shrimp Risotto

What is lemon shrimp risotto

Risotto is a traditional Italian dish: Carnaroli or Arborio rice is first stir-fried in butter and onion, then cooked by gradually adding stock and constantly stirring to create a creamy but firm consistency.

Once the rice is toasted in the butter, before adding the stock, a cup of white wine is added to flavor the rice.

In the lemon risotto, the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon is added after the wine and before adding the stock.

The creamy risotto incorporates the fresh citrusy flavor from the lemon, creating the perfect pair with seafood on texture and taste.

The sweetness of the shrimps is an obvious and easy addition to the lemon risotto.

This is a traditional risotto recipe, cooked the Italian way.

If you never cooked risotto before and you want to know more, you can read the article: The perfect risotto

Ingredients

For this dish, good ingredients are the basis for success.

Here are the ingredients you need:

• Carnaroli rice for risotto: Carnaroli is the best rice for risotto, second best Aborio. Make sure you use a good Italian brand. I always buy Riso Gallo the oldest Italian rice producer.
• Vegetable stock: You can use fish stock or fumet, but if you don’t have much time a vegetable stock will do.
• Lemon: as we will be using the zest, it is important to buy a not treated lemon
• Dry white wine: to deglaze the rice
• Shrimps: The shrimps must be raw. For simplicity in this recipe, I use cleaned and devein shrimps where heads, shells, and tails have been removed. They can be frozen shrimps but make sure they are completely thawed out and drained of any residual water.

What you should NOT do

If you would like to follow the Italian style of cooking, these are the things you shouldn’t do:

• Only use good quality rice for risotto, do not use basmati or sushi rice
• Do not use chicken or beef stock. I have seen many recipes using chicken stock. I wouldn’t do that as the flavor of the chicken is redundant and overwhelming in such a delicate risotto.
• DO NOT ADD CHEESE, it is totally unnecessary and the flavor is too strong for the shrimps. You want to taste the freshness of the shrimps, not the cheese.
• Do not use cooked shrimps. Overcooked seafood is tough, dry, and has no flavor.
• Add shrimps only at the last 2 to 3 minutes of cooking time.

Cooking shrimp with or without shells

There is a difference between cooking shrimps with or without shells and heads.

If you are using whole shrimps, they should be cooked first with butter, then removed from the pan and the rice cooked in the same pan to absorb the flavor released by the shells and the heads.

In addition, the shells protect the meat of the shrimps from getting too dry, and their flavor is more intense.

The cooked shrimps are then cleaned and deveined and added to the risotto at the end.

This procedure is totally unnecessary if you are using peeled shrimps as no extra juices are released beforehand.

The shrimps can be added 3 minutes before the risotto is cooked.

The flavor is released then and the shrimps do not get cold, dry or overcooked.

To reduce the amount of work for this recipe, you can use peeled and deveined raw shrimps.

How to make it

This is a traditional risotto recipe, with no shortcuts. So pour yourself a glass of wine and let’s get started.

Prepare the vegetable stock

1. In a small saucepan, simmer for 20 minutes 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, and 1 onion with a tbsp of salt.
2. Filter the vegetable stock and keep it warm next to the pan where you are making the risotto

Toasting the rice

1. In a saucepan, stir fry the chopped shallot with butter
2. Once the shallot becomes transparent, add the rice and toast it
3. Deglaze the rice with a cup of dry white wine and stir
4. Once the wine evaporates add the lemon juice and stir

Cook the rice

1. Check the cooking time required on the rice package
2. Add a ladle of vegetable stock (start counting the time)
3. Stir until the stock is absorbed by the rice
4. Continue to add the stock one ladle at a time
5. Taste the rice regularly

6. 3 minutes before the rice is done add the raw shrimps and stir
7. Add lemon zest and stir
8. When the rice is done remove it from the stove and add 1 tbsp of butter
9. Cover and let it rest for 5 minutes until the butter melts
10. Place on a serving dish and serve immediately

How to serve it

This lemon risotto with shrimps can be served as a Primo piatto for an Italian formal dinner based on seafood or as a main for a light fancy luncheon.

Serve immediately after the butter has melted.

Add some freshly chopped parsley and some back pepper.

Serve some extra lemon slices to add some more lemon juice if needed.

I serve them in these fun lemon squeezers.

What to serve with it

If you are serving it as a primo piatto, I would recommend combining it with a main course based on seafood.

For an elegant dinner, I would suggest sea bream cook in salt or a fish pie.

If you are serving it as a main course in a light luncheon, you can serve some steamed vegetables like Agretti (recipe coming up soon) or green beans as side dishes.

For a more complete main course, you can also add some vegetables in the risotto when you add the shrimps: peas, asparagus, mushrooms or spinach.

Do I need to mention it again? NO CHEESE

Substitution for shrimps

In this risotto, you can use any other seafood as it always well combines with lemon.

Shrimps can be substituted by salmon, scallops, or lobster.

The cooking process is always the same, the seafood is added raw in the last 3 to 4 minutes depending on its size and cooking time.

Large scallops may take longer, while the salmon may take less time.

This is a perfect dish to add to the Feast of the 7 fishes celebrated on Christmas Eve.

Lemon risotto without seafood

This lemon risotto is not only good with seafood.

Many other ingredients can be used instead of shrimps.

Asparagus, peas, mushrooms, zucchini or spinach, all combine well with the citrusy flavor of lemon.

Since there is no seafood, you can add plenty of parmesan cheese to make it creamier and complete.

You can even serve it in a Parmesan bowl and you will find the recipe here.

Other ways to serve risotto

For more rice recipes, check out the category: Rice

Also check the recipes below:

• Champagne Risotto Served In A Parmesan Wheel
• Scallops and risotto with peas and bacon
• Black Rice Recipe With Apple, Avocado And Carrots
• Italian Rice Stuffed Tomatoes
• Baked Rice Pilaf
• Homemade Paella Seafood And Sausage

If you have leftover risotto, you can repurpose it these ways:

• Vegetarian Rice Timbale with Grilled Eggplants Recipe
• Rice Arancini Recipe Gluten Free and Vegetarian
• Fried Risotto Balls From Calabria

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