Shrimp Risotto

By
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 12/7/22
Tested by
Diana Andrews
Headshot of Diana Andrews
Tested by Diana Andrews
Diana earned her B.A. in Fine Art at Queens College and her culinary certification from the Institute of Culinary Education. Diana has served as head recipe developer and editor for Emmy-nominated PBS series Moveable Feast, food editor and test kitchen manager at Fine Cooking Magazine, and recipe developer, and product tester at Food Network.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Shrimp Risotto

The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Total: 60 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 1 pan
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
690 Calories
40g Fat
30g Carbs
36g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 690
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 40g 51%
Saturated Fat 17g 84%
Cholesterol 303mg 101%
Sodium 1974mg 86%
Total Carbohydrate 30g 11%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 36g
Vitamin C 7mg 33%
Calcium 207mg 16%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 603mg 13%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This shrimp risotto is full of warm, creamy goodness. It's topped with a bright and zesty lemon sauce similar to scampi. There’s also plenty of Parmesan cheese, garlic, and butter, which we know makes everything better. It feels fancy enough to be something you can serve at a dinner party but comforting and simple enough to enjoy on a weeknight.

Risotto isn't a difficult dish to make—it just takes some patience. If you enjoy cooking, you may really enjoy the immersive quality of cooking risotto. Add the stock a little at a time and stir, stir, stir. As you stir the rice in the stock, the starch is released, and you'll be rewarded with a deliciously luxurious dish. Cooking the shrimp is quick and easy and can be done ahead of time. Just make sure to make the risotto right before you are ready to eat and serve it immediately.

This risotto is very good with a simple green salad or a Caesar salad.

"So delicious, and so impressive-looking! The creaminess of the risotto is beautifully balanced by the acidity of the shrimp sauce. Be patient when preparing the risotto. It's the constant stirring of the Arborio rice while adding broth a ladle at time that makes it creamy and delicious." —Diana Andrews

Shrimp Risotto/Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Shrimp:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 pound extra jumbo (16 to 20) shrimp, peeled and deveined

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, divided

  • 6 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 1/2 cups white wine

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, more for garnish

For the Risotto:

  • 4 cups chicken stock

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

  • 3 tablespoons minced shallots

  • 3 medium cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 cup Arborio rice

  • 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, more to taste

  • Kosher salt, to taste

Steps to Make It

Cook the Shrimp

  1. Gather the ingredients for the shrimp.

    Ingredients to preparing and cooking shrimp

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  2. Heat the oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Season the shrimp with the salt and pepper. 

    Shrimp seasoned with salt and pepper

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  3. Sear the shrimp until pink and opaque on both sides, about 4 minutes total. Remove the shrimp to a plate. 

    Cooked shrimp in a pan

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  4. Turn the heat to medium-low. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan. When the butter melts, add the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 

    A pan with butter and garlic

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  5. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the white wine and lemon juice, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and continue to cook until the sauce is reduced by about a third, about 3 minutes.

    Lemon juice and white wine added to the pan with butter and garlic

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  6. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the parsley. Once the butter melts, remove from the heat, cover, and set aside.

    More butter and parsley added to the pan

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

Make the Risotto

  1. Gather the ingredients for the risotto.

    Heat the chicken stock in a small saucepan until hot, about 5 minutes. 

    Ingredients to make risotto

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  2. Meanwhile, heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan on medium-low heat.

    Once the butter has melted, add the shallots and garlic. Sauté until the shallots are translucent and the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. 

    A pan cooking shallots and garlic in butter

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  3. Add the rice and toss to coat. Raise the heat to medium and sauté until the rice is lightly toasted, about 4 minutes. 

    Rice added to the butter mixture

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  4. Add a ladleful of the hot stock, stirring continuously until the stock is absorbed into the rice. Repeat, adding a ladle of stock at a time, until the rice is creamy and al dente, and you have used most or all of the stock, about 25 minutes.

    A spoon stirring creamy risotto in a pan

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  5. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the Parmesan cheese. When the butter and cheese have melted, cover and set aside.

    Reheat the shrimp sauce on medium heat until simmering. Toss the shrimp into the sauce to warm them back up, about 1 minute. 

    A pan of risotto removed from heat, with butter and cheese added

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  6. Ladle the risotto into warm bowls and top with an equal amount of shrimp and sauce. Top with more Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, if desired.

    Serve immediately with a glass of white wine. 

    A bowl of risotto topped with cooked shrimp, butter sauce, and fresh parsley

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

Variations

  • Instead of Parmesan, you can use other Italian cheeses such as pecorino Romano or Grana Padano.
  • You can also use herbs such as fresh basil or chives with this recipe, and it will be delicious.

How to Store Risotto

Risotto (without the shrimp) will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for three to five days. If you have leftover shrimp, it will keep for less time (about two days). Reheat carefully in the microwave (without the shrimp, which becomes rubbery in the microwave) with a little bit of stock or water, or over low heat in a saucepan with the shrimp.

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