Seafood Risotto

Risotto with seafood in grey bowl with fork and spoon.

5 from 1 vote

Seafood risotto is a quick and easy homemade dinner recipe. With succulent juicy prawns, seared scallops, moist fish and pan fried squid.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: seafood risotto, seafood risotto recipe

Servings:

Calories: 816kcal

Author: Adrianne

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil Note 1
500 grams/ 1 pound prawns (shrimp) Note 2
1 tbs garlic chunky chopped, 2 fresh garlic cloves or minced garlic, Note 3
¼ teaspoon salt Note 4
½ teaspoon black pepper also Note 4
200 grams/ 8 oz scallops this is about 16-20 scallops, Note 5
2 medium squid cut into rings, Note 6
1 fillet fish boneless white fish, cut into chunky pieces, Note 7
40 grams/ 3 tbs butter unsalted as we add salt separately, Note 8
½ large onion peeled and finely diced, Note 9
2 cups arborio rice this is the dried amount, Note 10
½ cup/125 ml white wine Note 11
4 cups/1 litre chicken stock Note 12
1 cup frozen peas Note 13
½ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated using a micro plane zester, Note 14

To garnish

black pepper
parmesan cheese

Instructions

Prawns: prepare the prawns by using a cutting board and starting by twisting their heads off. Then peel the shell and legs, leaving the tail and end segment intact. Next use a knife and cut along the backbone of the prawns and remove the digestive tract and discard. Repeat this process for all of the prawns.
Cook prawns: place a large sauté pan on the stove top, turn the heat to high, add the olive oil, prawns, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook the prawns for 2-3 minutes per side until they have turned bright orange with white flesh and there is no translucent skin. Once they are cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the pan and place them onto a paper towel lined plate.
Cook scallops: next without rinsing or cleaning the pan used to cook the prawns add the scallops and cook them for 3-4 minutes, ensuring that both sides have a golden brown sear and once done transfer them to the bowl with the cooked prawns.
Fish and squid: again without rinsing or cleaning the pan add the chopped fish and squid rings. Cook the fish till it firms and is white throughout. Cook the squid till each side has a light brown sear and the rings have firmed up somewhat (2-3 minutes). Then remove the squid and fish from the pan and place it onto a paper towel lined chopping board.
Onion and butter: next add the butter to the pan, followed by the diced onions. Let the butter melt and sauté the onions for 1 minute.
Rice and wine: once the onions have been sautéed add the rice and stir to coat it in the onion and butter mix. Then add the white wine and continue to stir to let the rice begin to absorb the liquid.
Stock (broth) and frozen peas: next gradually add the chicken stock to the pan, stirring allowing some of it to absorb before adding more. Then when all of the stock is in the pan add the frozen peas. Let the peas thaw and cook for 1 minute.
Parmesan cheese: once the peas have cooked add the parmesan cheese to the pan and stir allowing it to melt and mix in with the risotto.
Cooked seafoods: next add the cooked fish and squid to the pan, followed by the cooked prawns and scallops. Gently stir to fold these into the risotto then allow them to heat through.
To serve: once the seafood has been combined and heated through garnish the risotto with some freshly cracked black pepper as well as parmesan cheese. Grab some bowls, forks and spoons and get ready to portion and serve.

Notes

Note 1 - Olive oil: we use a small amount of olive oil initially when we are cooking the prawns on the stove top.
Note 2 - Prawns: or shrimp depending on what country you are in. Fresh prawns that we peel and devein ourselves will give the freshest results. If you want to remove the tails when you are peeling the prawns you can.
Note 3 - Garlic: the options here are to use 2-3 fresh garlic cloves, minced garlic or chunky chopped garlic. Whichever is the easiest and most convenient for you is the one I recommend 😉👍
Note 4 - Salt and pepper: we use salt and a little bit of black pepper for seasoning in the recipe. You can also use some black pepper for garnish when serving the finished dish.
Note 5 - Scallops: these delightful little scallops melt like butter in your mouth! They are somewhat decadent too! No shell or roe is needed. You can purchase scallop meat at most local supermarkets.
Note 6 - Squid: we want to chop some squid rings and pan fry them for a couple of minutes. They have a soft and juicy texture.
Note 7- Fish: we want to use a bone free fillet of fish. Many supermarkets will have this in the seafood section of the deli where the prawns and shrimp are sold. We then roughly chop it into chunky pieces.
Note 8 - Butter: we melt the butter in the pan and use it to sauté the onions. This combination gives the unmistakeable risotto flavor base to the recipe.
Note 9 - Onion: we want to use ½ of a large onion that we peel and chop ourselves.
Note 10 - Rice: we want to use arborio rice or risotto style rice. These (are the same) and are a short white grain or rice known for their capacity to absorb liquids.
Note 11- White wine: nothing fancy or expensive needed. I recommend pinot gris and a bottle around the $10 mark is budget friendly and does the job.
Note 12 - Chicken stock: for ease and convenience. We use store bought chicken stock. I do expand in the notes further below that you can also make your own fish stock or purchase fish stock (fish broth) if it is readily available where you live.
Note 13 - Frozen peas: we add these to the risotto as is in their frozen state. Due to the temperature of the pan contents, they thaw and cook very quickly.
Note 14 - Parmesan cheese: freshly grated using a micro plane zester is best. Or you can save time if needed and use a store bought bag of grated parmesan cheese then measure the ½ cup from the bag.
Serving size: this recipe will serve 4 adults a generous serving. You can reduce the portion size to decrease the kcal quantities or simply if you want to make the risotto stretch to more people.

Nutrition