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Shrimp Risotto has creamy cheesy arborio rice loaded with tender cooked shrimp and peas in every bite.
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Delicious Creamy Shrimp and Pea Risotto
If you’ve been a regular reader here at A Family Feast, you might recall that risotto recipes (this one in particular) are near and dear to Jack’s and my heart. 🙂
Today’s Shrimp Risotto recipe is another favorite of ours. It’s a simple Parmesan-infused risotto with generous chunks of sauteed shrimp and green peas throughout the soft and creamy arborio rice.
We made a simple homemade shrimp stock from the shells of the fresh shrimp, but to make things easier, you could swap in a boxed seafood stock instead.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Arborio Rice – This Italian variety of rice is considered the gold standard for making risotto. It’s a short-grain, white rice that releases starch as it slowly cooks in stock or broth – giving any risotto dish its distinctive creamy, velvety texture.
- Fresh or Frozen Shrimp – Buy medium-sized (16-20) raw, shell-on shrimp. (See Shrimp Buying Guide below.) You’ll peel the shrimp and remove the tail before cooking – keeping the shells if you want to make homemade seafood stock for this recipe. (Do not buy already-cooked shrimp for this dish.)
- Seafood/Shrimp Stock – Buy boxed seafood stock or make a homemade stock with the shrimp shells (see below in recipe card). Do not buy clam juice for this recipe.
- Shallots
- Fresh Garlic
- White Wine – We used a chardonnay, but any dry white wine will work.
- Green Peas – Buy frozen peas for the best taste and texture.
- Olive Oil
- Unsalted Butter
- Parmesan Cheese
Shrimp Buying Guide
- Buy frozen, shell-on, uncooked shrimp for this recipe. Frozen shrimp is typically flash-frozen shortly after the catch, so it retains its quality even after thawing at home.
- Look for de-veined frozen shrimp – the tail and outer shell should still be intact with a small slit cut into the outer arch of the body where they removed the vein of the shrimp.
- Fresh shrimp can also be used in this recipe – just make sure you are buying it from a reputable seafood market.
- Frozen shrimp is sold with a number printed on the bag that corresponds to the number of shrimp pieces per pound. For example, we use 16-20 shrimp in this recipe – meaning you should find between 16 and 20 shrimp in a one-pound bag. The higher the number on the bag, the smaller the shrimp. The lower the number on the bag, the larger the shrimp. In a two pound bag, the count still stays as the number of pieces per single pound. So a 16-20 count would be the same for a one or two pound bag, however in a two pound bag, you would get 32-40 pieces.
- An individual shrimp is classified as a “U”, so a one-ounce shrimp is a U-16. A two-ounce shrimp is a U-8, etc. – you might see recipes that call for a certain number of “U-16” shrimp as an example.
Tips & Tricks
- After cooking the shrimp, we put a few whole shrimp aside for garnish when serving. This is totally optional – you can cut all the shrimp into smaller, bite-sized pieces if you prefer.
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Shrimp Risotto
Shrimp Risotto has creamy cheesy arborio rice loaded with tender cooked shrimp and peas in every bite.
Yield: 6 servings 1x
Prep: 30 minutesCook: 60 minutesTotal: 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients
To Make Homemade Shrimp Stock from Shrimp Shells*
- 2 pounds shell-on raw shrimp (shells and tails removed and used to make this stock; see Risotto section below for preparation instructions for the uncooked shrimp)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 carrot, coarsely chopped
- 1 clove of fresh garlic, smashed
- 1/2 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
- Medium bunch fresh cilantro stems (just stems) (or 1 teaspoon coriander seeds or 1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander)
- 8 parsley stems (just stems) (or 1 tablespoon of dried parsley )
- 8 black whole peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 quart boxed vegetable stock
- 3 cups of water
*OR substitute with 40 ounces boxed seafood stock (5 cups)
For The Risotto
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 pounds fresh shrimp from above (leave 12 pieces whole for serving, and cut up the remaining shrimp into three pieces each)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup diced shallots
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup uncooked arborio rice
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 5 cups of stock from above
- 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
Instructions
To Make Homemade Shrimp Stock
(If you are using boxed seafood stock, skip down to the Risotto section.)
- To make your own seafood stock, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add shrimp shells and tails and toss and cook for five minutes.
- Add all other stock ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook to reduce to five cups of liquid, about 20-25 minutes. Strain and discard solids. Keep stock hot, but not boiling, in a saucepan throughout cooking process.
To Make The Shrimp Risotto
- In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt one tablespoon of butter and add the whole shrimp and cook 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- Add remaining butter and once melted, add all cut up shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Remove to a bowl with the butter from the pan and set aside.
- In a medium to large heavy bottomed pot, such as a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat then add the shallots and garlic and cook for two minutes.
- Add the dry rice and stir and cook for three minutes.
- Add wine to deglaze and cook until the wine evaporates.
- Reduce heat to medium low.
- Start adding one ladle full of hot shrimp stock (or boxed seafood stock) at a time, letting each ladle full get fully absorbed before adding the next. When all the stock has been used, the rice should be tender, in about 30 minutes. If not completely tender, add a little water to finish cooking.
- Off heat, stir in the Parmesan cheese, thawed green peas and cooked shrimp pieces, along with any butter or liquid left in the bowl.
- To serve, spoon into bowls and top each bowl with two whole cooked shrimp pieces.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Shrimp Risotto ahead of time? Risotto and shrimp are both best served freshly made. Having said that, you could prepare the risotto only ahead of time and reheat but cook the shrimp right before serving. (Reheated shrimp can become over cooked and rubbery.)
- How do I store leftovers? Store covered and refrigerated for up to two days.
- How do I reheat leftovers? Reheat the risotto in a saucepan with a little extra stock or water to make it creamy again. Or, warm individual portions in the microwave with a splash of stock stirred in. Using either method, be sure to avoid overcooking the shrimp.
- Can I freeze? No, we don’t recommend freezing this dish.
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