How to cook an Italian dish correctly: the choice of rice, butter, "toppings". TOP 7 recipes for risotto with seafood and other additives - with vegetables, chicken, mushrooms, etc., an original recipe for black risotto.
Seafood risotto is an Italian dish made with rice, seafood and some other additional ingredients. It appeared several hundred years ago thanks to one absent-minded cook: he cooked soup with rice, but got distracted and forgot about it, meanwhile all the broth evaporated, surprisingly, as a result, it turned out not a spoiled soup, but the most delicate rice "stew", which today is considered one from the signature dishes of Italian cuisine. It is especially loved in the northern regions of Italy, however, in the south of the country, and indeed all over the world, risotto is cooked and eaten with great pleasure.
Features of cooking risotto with seafood
It is not difficult to repeat the recipe for Italian risotto with seafood at home. The technology is very similar to the preparation of pilaf we are accustomed to: first, the "filling" is fried in oil, then rice is added to it and, finally, water or broth is added. However, there is one important subtlety: if, when preparing pilaf, all the liquid is poured immediately and then evaporated over very low heat without stirring, then it is added to risotto gradually, in small portions, and the dish is constantly stirred.
If we talk about the "filling", then there are no strict rules, you can choose any favorite ingredients and safely add them to the dish, without fear of somehow arguing with the original recipe. However, the type of rice plays an important role: the classic risotto with seafood should be prepared from special varieties with a high starch content, only in this way the dish will acquire the proper creamy texture. One of the most popular of these varieties is arborio. True, more often in supermarkets on a pack they write not a variety of rice, but simply the phrase "Rice for risotto" - you can safely take it.
Another important feature of preparing risotto with seafood is the use of good oil, traditionally for it they take butter, olive, or a combination of them. At the same time, it is believed that it is more correct to use butter, since risotto is a signature dish of the northern regions of Italy, and olive oil is not so common in them.
It is also worth noting that if you want a truly rich taste, use broth instead of water as a filling for your seafood risotto recipe. In addition, you can add wine in front of the broth - it will also emphasize and reveal the taste of the dish.
Another important rule of how to prepare a seafood risotto so that it turns out to be tender and rich is to use Parmesan (or other quality hard cheese), as well as cream or butter at the final stage of cooking.
TOP 7 recipes for making risotto with seafood
There are many variations on how to make seafood risotto. First of all, the variety lies in the "fillings": the dish is supplemented with vegetables, mushrooms or even poultry, meat. Also, instead of the more familiar dish with a creamy sauce, you can make it with tomato sauce. If we talk about risotto with seafood and with wine, the latter, again, can be chosen as white or red. In general, the chef's imagination in preparing risotto is not much limited.
Risotto with seafood in a creamy sauce
The real classic of the dish is risotto with seafood and cream. It is prepared very quickly and easily, and its taste is almost a win-win.
See also how to make pumpkin risotto.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 150 kcal.
- Servings - 4
- Cooking time - 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- Rice for risotto - 200 g
- Seafood cocktail - 200 g
- Olive oil - 1 tablespoon
- Butter - 20 g
- Fish broth - 400 ml
- Dry white wine - 100 ml
- Bulb onions - 1 pc.
- Cream - 100 ml
- Parmesan - 30 g
Step by step preparation of seafood risotto in creamy sauce:
- Finely chop the onion, fry it in a mixture of oils until it becomes transparent and soft.
- Lay out the rice, stir well and fry together for about 2-3 minutes - the rice should be soaked in oil.
- Pour in white wine, evaporate, stirring constantly.
- Start adding broth, about a ladle at a time, stirring constantly.
- Put the seafood in boiling water, wait until it boils again, and they float, drain immediately.
- Place the prepared seafood in the skillet about 5-7 minutes before the rice is cooked.
- Pour in the cream, stir the dish well.
Serve the creamy risotto hot, sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese. Fresh herbs will also be in good harmony with this dish.
Risotto with seafood and mushrooms
Another classic of the Italian dish is risotto with shrimps and mushrooms. It is usually prepared with white wine, and mushroom, fish and chicken are equally well suited as a broth.
Ingredients:
- Rice for risotto - 1, 5 tbsp.
- Fresh mushrooms - 150 g
- Peeled shrimps - 200 g
- Parmesan - 150 g
- Dry white wine - 1 tbsp.
- Chicken broth - 2 tbsp
- Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Olive oil - 3 tablespoons
- Onions - 2 pcs.
- Garlic - 4 cloves
Step by step preparation of risotto with seafood and mushrooms:
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet, add the finely chopped onion and garlic.
- Place the rice, when the onions are tender, cook together, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
- Pour in the wine, when it evaporates, start slowly pouring in the broth.
- 10-15 minutes before the rice is cooked, put the mushrooms and peeled shrimps, cut into thin slices. If they are large, cut them into several pieces.
- Add butter and grated cheese a couple of minutes before the rice is ready.
Serve with fresh chopped herbs and a glass of white wine.
Risotto with seafood and vegetables
Vegetables in the "sea" risotto should be added carefully, so as not to cross out the mild taste of seafood. They are usually placed in a dish in small quantities and selected depending on the other ingredients added. Next is the recipe with shallots and asparagus.
Ingredients:
- Rice for risotto - 70 g
- Olive oil - 30 ml
- Shallots - 20 g
- Shrimp - 80 g
- Squid - 50 g
- Scallops - 50 g
- Green asparagus - 30 g
- Fish broth - 400 g
- Butter - 30 g
- Cream - 30 ml
- Parmesan - 20 g
How to prepare risotto with seafood and vegetables step by step:
- Chop the onion into cubes and cut the asparagus stalk into thin circles.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet, sauté vegetables until soft.
- Add rice, cook together for a couple of minutes, stirring well.
- Start pouring in broth, adding as it evaporates.
- Pour seafood into boiling water, cook after boiling for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the seafood and asparagus 10 minutes before the rice is cooked.
- 2 minutes before the rice is cooked, put butter, cream and grated Parmesan in a dish.
You can not put a little seafood and asparagus in the dish right away, but leave a little for a beautiful presentation.
Risotto with seafood and chicken
For a more satisfying seafood risotto, add some poultry or meat to the dish. Try this chicken thighs and shrimp recipe, for example.
Ingredients:
- Boneless chicken thighs - 4 pcs.
- Shrimps - 10 pcs.
- Rice for risotto - 300 g
- Onions - 1 pc.
- Garlic - 2 cloves
- Cherry - 250 g
- Broth - 1 l
- Olive oil - 30 ml
- Butter - 60 g
Step by step cooking of seafood and chicken risotto:
- Heat olive oil and 30 g butter in a skillet.
- Chop the onion and garlic.
- Cut the cherry into 4 pieces, the chicken thighs into small cubes.
- Put prepared vegetables in a preheated pan, fry for 3-5 minutes, add chicken, cook for another 5 minutes, finally put tomatoes.
- After a few minutes, add the rice, cook until the cereal is soaked in oil.
- Start pouring in the broth in small portions, add a new one when the previous one has evaporated.
- Boil water in a saucepan, put shrimps in boiling water, cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add the cooked shrimp 5-7 minutes before the rice is cooked.
- When the rice is almost completely soft, add the remaining half of the butter.
Serve the chicken and seafood risotto hot, it is good to prepare a small portion of fresh salad for it.
Risotto with seafood in tomato sauce
Most often we see risotto in a creamy sauce, but tomato risotto with seafood also has a right to exist.
Ingredients:
- Rice for risotto - 300 g
- Onions - 1 pc.
- Garlic - 2 cloves
- Olive oil - 20 ml
- Cream - 150 ml
- Broth (preferably vegetable) - 150 ml
- Red or white dry wine - 100 ml
- Tomato paste - 80 g
- Large shrimps - 16 pcs.
- Marjoram, basil, black pepper, salt - to taste
Step by step preparation of seafood risotto in tomato sauce:
- Finely chop the onion and garlic, fry with the marjoram in olive oil.
- Add rice, cook, stirring, until rice is well saturated with oil and becomes transparent.
- Pour in the wine, evaporate it - this will take about 3 minutes.
- Now it's the broth's turn: pour it in portions, add each next when the previous one has completely evaporated.
- When the broth is over, pour in the cream, cook for a few minutes, then add the tomato paste, salt, pepper and basil, simmer until the rice is fully cooked.
- Meanwhile, fry the shrimps in a dry skillet - 1-2 minutes on each side.
The dish is served as follows: hot rice in tomato sauce is laid out on portioned plates in the center, shrimps are laid out along the edges. You can also complement the serving with cherry tomatoes and chopped parsley.
Risotto with champagne and tiger prawns
If we have already started talking about the fact that the creamy sauce in risotto can be replaced with tomato sauce, it would be logical to continue the conversation about dishes with wine. It is not at all necessary to add classic white or red wine to risotto, you can easily prepare it with sparkling wine.
Ingredients:
- Rice for risotto - 400 g
- Tiger prawns - 300 g
- Chicken broth - 800 ml
- Dry white sparkling wine - 200 ml
- Fat cream - 100 ml
- Garlic - 1 clove
- Bow - 1 head
- Parmesan - 50 g
- Olive oil - 2 tablespoons
- Butter - 50 g
- Salt, pepper - to taste
How to prepare risotto with champagne and tiger prawns step by step:
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan, put the shrimp and garlic crushed with a knife, fry, then remove the garlic.
- Heat the remaining olive oil and half of the butter, add finely chopped onion.
- When the onion is translucent, add the rice and cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Pour in the wine, when it evaporates, start pouring in the broth in small portions.
- When the rice is cooked, pour in the cream, half the butter, add the grated Parmesan, stir well, turn off the heat.
Serve the risotto hot with fried prawns.
Risotto with cuttlefish ink and seafood
At the end of our TOP, we have in store, perhaps, one of the most original and effective options for preparing risotto - black risotto with seafood. If you want to surprise both yourself and your guests, try to cook it.
Ingredients:
- Rice for risotto - 150 g
- Tiger prawns - 8 pcs.
- Mini squids - 50 g
- Mussels - 5 pcs.
- Garlic - 3 cloves
- Green peas - 30 g
- Sweet pepper - 60 g
- Cuttlefish - 6 pcs.
- Cuttlefish ink - 8 g
- Lemon - 1/2 pc.
- Shrimp broth - 500 ml
- Olive oil - 1 tablespoon
How to prepare risotto with cuttlefish ink and seafood step by step:
- Cut the pepper into thin strips, chop the garlic coarsely, peel the shrimp and cut in half.
- Heat the olive oil, add the garlic, fry for half a minute, then add the pepper, fry for another half minute.
- Add mussels, cook for a minute, then cuttlefish, cook for another minute.
- Now add the peas, simmer everything together for about 30 seconds.
- Pour in broth, when it boils, add cuttlefish ink and rice, cook for 10 minutes.
- Add shrimp and squid, simmer together for another 5-10 minutes.
- Sprinkle the finished dish with lemon juice to taste.
Cuttlefish ink is a natural food coloring that gives the dish its characteristic black color. Of course, you can't buy it in a regular store, but you can order it in an online store without any problems.
