To make seafood risotto, use high-quality Arborio rice and fresh seafood, cook the seafood separately, and use a warm, light-colored broth. Toast the rice before adding liquid and stir frequently. The creaminess comes from the rice starch, not cheese or cream.
Some of the best tips for making seafood risotto include using high-quality Arborio rice and fresh seafood. It may help to use a warm, light-colored broth for the liquid, and as with all risotto, you need to stir frequently. Cooking seafood separately from risotto can often make preparing the dish easier.
Arborio rice is a short grain rice ideal for preparing risotto. The amount of starch in this variety of rice explains the creaminess often sought in risotto. This is especially important when making seafood risottos because Italian cooks don’t traditionally mix cheese and seafood. Carnaroli, roma and vialone nano can also be used to good effect. Whichever rice is included, it’s important to lightly toast it in butter or olive oil before adding any liquid.
As with any seafood meal, prime quality fresh fish or shellfish are ideal for seafood risotto to ensure the whole dish remains flavorful and delicate in texture. If fresh seafood is not available, quality frozen fish or shellfish can be substituted. The texture and flavor of canned seafood is typically not ideal.
Light broth that doesn’t overpower the flavor of the fish is best for seafood risotto. Fish or clam broth is typically preferred, although chicken broth can work in a pinch. Regardless of the type of liquid used, it must be heated to a boil and kept warm while preparing the risotto. Once the rice is toasted, the hot broth should be added to the rice a ladleful at a time until it is gone. The amount of broth depends entirely on the amount of rice.
The notion that the creaminess of seafood risotto comes from the cheese or cream is a common misconception; it actually comes from the starch in the rice and the cooking method. When making risotto, it’s important to add stock a little at a time, as noted above. After each ladleful of broth, stir the rice constantly until all the liquid is absorbed before adding more. This brings out the natural starch in the rice, thus making the seafood risotto rich and creamy without adding real cream.
Seafood is notoriously easy to overcook, which can damage its flavor and make it rubbery or tough. When making seafood risotto, it can be helpful to cook the fish separately from the rice and add it at the end; this can be accomplished by gently folding the cooked seafood into the risotto after the last ladleful of stock. If the recipe calls for the seafood to be cooked with the rice, most types of fish and shellfish, especially if sliced or diced, can be added to the risotto for the last 5 to 7 minutes of cooking. In most cases, the seafood will be cooked at the same time as the rice.
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