Risotto Marinara (Seafood Risotto)

Risotto Marinara (Seafood Risotto)

Risotto Marinara is an Italian classic with creamy tomato risotto brimming with shrimp and scallops. Like any good risotto, some time and patience are required, but it's an easy, uncomplicated recipe. The delicious result is worth every minute spent.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 429kcal

Author Colleen Milne

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 yellow or white onion diced (1 cup)
4 garlic cloves minced
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups Arborio rice
6 cups vegetable or fish stock
6 tablespoon tomato paste
1 pound sea scallops
1 pound shrimp peeled, deveined, tails removed
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
salt and pepper to taste
parsley chopped (optional)

Instructions

Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer and keep it over low heat.
Heat the butter and oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat.
Cook the onion and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the wine and lemon juice.
Add the Arborio rice. Cook and stir until the rice has absorbed the wine.
Ladle one cup of the hot stock into the pan and cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed; about 5 minutes. Repeat this, continuing until you have about two cups of stock remaining.
Whisk the tomato paste into the remaining stock, and bring it back to a simmer.
Repeat step 6 with the tomato-infused stock.
Once the rice has absorbed the liquid, stir in the final cup of stock along with the shrimp and scallops.
Continue to cook and stir until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and the shrimp and scallops are opaque.
Taste and season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes if using.
Garnish with parsley and serve hot.

Notes

Don't rinse the rice: For most rice dishes, like my Mexican fried rice, or Jamaican rice and peas, you will rinse the rice to remove any extra starch. However, for this seafood risotto, and for all risotto recipes, we want to keep the starch so we end up with a rich and creamy risotto.

Keep stirring: Some recipes will tell you that it isn't necessary to stir constantly. And technically it isn't. Your risotto will probably still taste good if you only stir it occasionally. However, if you want your risotto to be more than just good, stir constantly. Why? "The rice expands as it absorbs the hot broth and the friction of the constant stirring softens the outer layer of the grain, resulting in a creamy consistency." ---The Joy of Cooking. That creamy consistency is exactly what risotto is all about. So grab a glass of wine, settle in, and stir! You'll be glad you did.

Keep the stock or broth hot: The secret to a good risotto is to keep the broth hot while you are adding it during the cooking process. Warm broth brings out the starches in the rice and also prevents it from overcooking.

Seafood: Other delicious seafood ingredients for risotto all marinara are mussels, clams, crab, or calamari (baby squid). White fish like cod or halibut are also great.

Add Parmesan: Add half a cup of grated parmesan cheese before serving if you prefer.

Storage: Risotto is best enjoyed right away. However you can keep it in the fridge, in an airtight container for up to 2 days. To reheat, add the risotto to a small amount of simmering stock, broth, or water.

Nutrition