On the tiny artists’ island of Burano near Venice, I was served a first course of shrimp risotto that simply beguiled me. As soon as I returned home I set about re-creating this achingly fresh dish. Many pounds of rice later, I hit upon a recipe that I believe comes close to the original.–David Leite
Note
Always make sure there’s enough liquid to cook the rice; it should bubble gently like old-fashioned oatmeal. If it dries out or becomes clumpy, add more stock or water to correct.
Shrimp Risotto Recipe
Ingredients
- For the shrimp stock
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Shells from 3/4 pound medium shrimp (reserve shrimp for risotto recipe, below)
- 2 small carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 small onions, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 7 cups cold water
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper
- For the risotto
- 3/4 pound medium shrimp, deveined and chopped into small pieces
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided as specified
- 1 tablespoon yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 cups high-quality imported Arborio rice
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- Shrimp stock
- 4 tablespoons chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper
Directions
- Make the stock
- 1. In a heavy stockpot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp shells and vegetables; cook about 15 minutes, until the shells are deep orange.
- 2. Stir in the tomato paste, and mix well.
- 3. Add the cold water and bay leaf. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently, partially covered, for 20 minutes.
- 4. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve (or a colander lined with several layers of cheesecloth) into a clean pot. Return the strained stock to the stove, and heat to a bare simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Make the risotto
- 5. In a heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. When foaming stops, add the shrimp and saute until light pink, 2 to 3 minutes.
- 6. Remove the pot from the stove. Dump the shrimp in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, and process until coarsely shredded, about 5 to 7 pulses.
- 7. Return the saucepan to the heat. Add 3 tablespoons of the butter, and saute the onion until translucent. Add the garlic, and cook a few minutes more.
- 8. Add the rice, and stir until well-coated with the butter. Saute lightly for a few moments until the rice starts to turn translucent, then add the wine and stir constantly until evaporated.
- 9. Begin adding the stock by the ladleful (about 1/2 cup), stirring constantly until the rice is creamy and al dente, about 25 to 35 minutes.
- 10. Stir in the shrimp, remaining butter, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Shrimp Risotto Recipe © David Leite. Photo © Dan Tucker. All rights reserved.
I served this with pan-fried snapper and salad for dinner tonight. We were very happy with the risotto. Creamy and delicious.
Oh my… This dish sounds like pure hedonism…
I previously saved a shrimp risotto recipe of yours, but it had cream added at the end. Do you like this dish better with or without the cream? Thanks.
Martha, I prefer it without, which is why I removed it. It was a bit like gilding the lily.
I’ve been receiving your e-news for months, but today’s was simply chock-full of recipes I will definitely make. This shrimp risotto had me drooling at 4 in the morning. Thank you.
Hi David: Hearty congrats on the new book! This risotto sounds delicious. I’d love you to try making risotto in the pressure cooker to see what you think. It takes only 4 minutes under pressure, then a few minutes of stirring at the end. Can I send you the 20th anniversary edition of Cooking Under Pressure that just came out?
Lorna, I’d love to try it, but, alas, I’d have to get a pressure cooker first. Let me see if I can borrow one.
David, this is a crazy good recipe! It was a different process than my usual risotto dishes, but WELL worth the extra work. However much work you did on perfecting this, I thank you. I have quite a bit of shrimp stock left…methinks there might be a shrimp bisque in my near future.
Susan, so good to hear from you and glad you enjoyed the shrimp. I spent a goodly amount of time developing the recipe—I think I made four or five batches. But, hey, who’s complaining? Even the failures were pretty damn good.
Hello David!
From your receipe and readers comments seems that this receipe is very promising. But there is something I don’t understand.
The part with the stock. After straining the mixture what happens with it. Sorry but i couldn’t understand!
Thanx
Hello!
The flavors of the risotto developed beautifully. I found that using olive oil for sauteing the onions and rice also worked very well – I prefer being able to control the butter content at the end. I did however have a huge problem with the shredded shrimp – it absorbed a lot of the moisture when I added it, and it produced a very unpleasant grainy texture from the small particles of protein. I probably over-processed it. Nevertheless, next time I think I will simply chop the shrimp into small pieces.
Otherwise the recipe was great!
Heavenly! I love when you post old things on FB so we can rediscover them. This risotto looks and sounds incredible. I love the addition of tomato paste in the stock and the touch of garlic in the risotto itself – very scampi. Gorgeous!
Rediscovered recipes are the greatest! Have you tried this risotto, Jamie?