I love versatile ingredients- ingredients that I can keep in my pantry all the time, so that whenever I am feeling lost or uninspired before dinner, I have something to turn to. Arborio rice is one of those ingredients. All you need to make a delicious plate of risotto is some butter, an onion, some stock and some cheese- and we know those are always in my house. You can mix in just about anything you have in the house- vegetable, poultry, beef (excellent with red wine!) and seafood. This lobster shrimp risotto is easy enough for a weeknight, but beautiful enough for a special occasion.
Added bonus: IF you end up with leftovers, look up arancini– basically breaded, cheesy, fried risotto balls of deliciousness. I can’t come up with a better solution for you than that!
Lobster & Shrimp Risotto
Ingredients
- 4 T butter
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1 small onion diced (about 2/3 cup)
- 3/4 c dry white wine
- 1 quart stock or broth chicken, vegetable, or seafood
- 1/2 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 lobster tail meat removed and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 T chives chopped
- 1 T parsley chopped
Instructions
- In a large deep skillet over medium heat, add the butter and 2 T olive oil. Add the onion and the rice. Saute until the onion has softened and the rice is translucent through the middle.
- Add the white wine and deglaze the pan, cooking until the wine is nearly gone.
- One cup at a time, ladle the stock into the rice. Wait until all the stock is nearly fully absorbed before adding the next cup.
- When the last cup of stock is added, add the seafood as well, and allow it to cook in the stock. [Note: If the rice is not al dente at this point, don't add the seafood yet, as you don't want it to be overcooked. Plan on adding additional stock, broth or water. I seem to use a different amount of liquid every time I make this.]
- Stir in the cheese, herbs, and remaining 2 T butter. Serve at once.
Jessica says
This sounds delish but the steps do not seem very clear for this recipe…… Is the lobster and shrimp supposed to be added to the rice as well or baked in the oven? For how long? What seasonings go on the shrimp and lobster… Please consider rewriting this recipe…. Would love to make this dish but the steps are not clear.
Jacqueline says
Hi Jessica, I’m sorry that you’re having trouble with the instructions. Yes, I add it to the rice, as I think it helps flavor the dish more, and the seafood takes on the flavors of the rice base and stock. You certainly can separately saute it, or cook it in the oven, or grill it. I normally just throw it in to save myself another pan/pot to wash. You can season it if you wish (Old Bay would be great), but I normally just add it as is.