Shrimp Risotto
The secret to this flavorful shrimp risotto is a rich stock made from shrimp shells--plus extra-jumbo shrimp and a lot of old-fashioned stirring.
Ingredients
For the shrimp stock
- 2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
- 3 pounds head-on extra-jumbo Gulf shrimp
- 2 small carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 small onions, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 to 2 tablespoons store-bought or homemade tomato paste, (optional; the version I had in Venice used it, but the risotto won't suffer without it)
- 7 cups cold water
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the shrimp risotto
- 1 1/2 pounds extra-jumbo shrimp, reserved from the shrimp stock
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 cups high-quality imported risotto rice, such as Vialone Nano, Carnaroli, or Arborio
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- Shrimp stock
- 4 tablespoons chopped parsley
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
Make the shrimp stock
- Remove the heads from the shrimp (to do this, grab right behind the gills with your index finger and thumb and twist off the body. (Here's a nifty how-to video.) Peel the shrimp and reserve the heads, the shells, and the shrimp in separate piles. (If you know yourself to be too squeamish to rip the heads off shrimp, ask someone else to do it or opt for one of the Stock Options For The Squeamish suggestions that follow this recipe.)
- Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed 8-quart stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp heads and shells, carrots, onions, and celery and cook, stirring often, until the shells are orange and the vegetables have softened, about 15 minutes. (It may be necessary to reduce the heat.)
- Stir in the tomato paste, if using, and mix well. Pour in the cold water and drop in the bay leaf. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve (or a colander lined with several layers of cheesecloth) into a clean pot. Discard the solids. Place the pot of strained stock on the stove and bring to a bare simmer. Season the stock with salt and pepper until it tastes rich and complex. (I know, I know. You've been warned never to salt stock, but like with boiling pasta, this is the only chance you get to infuse flavor into the rice. And since you're not reducing the stock, there's little danger of over-salting it.)
Make the shrimp risotto
- While the shrimp stock simmers, devein and coarsely chop the shrimp. (If you'd like to fancy up the risotto, set aside 2 whole shrimp per person as a garnish.)
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a wide, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When the foaming stops, toss in the shrimp, and whole shrimp if using, and sauté until light pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape the shrimp into a bowl.
- Return the pot to medium-high heat. Add another tablespoon butter and the shallot and cook until the shallot is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Lower the heat to medium if needed.
- Dump the rice into the pot and stir until each and every grain is well-coated with the butter. Sauté the rice gently for a few moments more until it starts to turn translucent, then add the wine and stir constantly until it has evaporated.
- Add the stock by the ladleful (about 1/2 cup at a time) and stir constantly--yes, constantly--until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat until all the stock is used and the rice is creamy and al dente, 25 to 35 minutes. Make sure as you stir to sweep along the entire bottom and sides of the pot to prevent the rice from sticking or scorching.
- Stir in the shrimp chunks and the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and allow the shrimp to heat through. Season the risotto with salt and pepper, if you so desire, and spritz it with a little parsley. If you're the fancy schmancy sort, festoon the top of each mound of risotto with the reserved whole shrimp, placing them at a jaunty angle. Serve immediately. And accept accolades shortly thereafter.
Notes
Shrimp Risotto Variation
Supermarket Shrimp Stock You can certainly use shells from supermarket shrimp to make the stock, but you’ll need far more than those from 1 1/2 pounds shrimp to make an intensely flavored stock if you’re not using shrimp heads. As you buy shell-on shrimp and peel them for prep in another recipe, stockpile the shells in the freezer. Keep doing this until you have more than you think you’ll ever possibly use. (Be sure to keep a running tally of how many pounds of shrimp you’ve shelled, whether you do so on the resealable plastic bag or somewhere in your kitchen. Shells from about 5 pounds of shrimp is a good start, although shells from 10ish pounds of shrimp is even better. ) Proceed with the stock recipe above, keeping all other amounts exactly as they are. Don’t increase the amount of water. Quick-Start Shrimp Stock Impatient? Not willing to (forgive me) shell out money to buy Gulf shrimp online? I get it. (I wasn’t, either. At first.) There is a quick-start stock you can make with the shells from 1 1/2 pounds of shrimp by jacking it up with clam juice. Make the stock using only 4 cups water. Once it’s finished, have a taste. Chances are it’ll be somewhat lackluster. Add a combination of water and clam juice until you have 7 cups of stock that has a distinctive shellfish flavor. Don’t salt the resulting risotto. The clam juice is plenty briny.Nutrition
Serving: 1portion | Calories: 572kcal | Carbohydrates: 83g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 1324mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g