This Garlic Prawn Risotto is rich and creamy AND lower in calories. With tender juicy prawns and perfectly cooked rice that absorbs all the garlicy and savory flavors this is on the table in under 40 minutes.
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I know when I first started making risotto many years ago, I could never get it to be creamy, without actually adding cream! And then it turned into a ridiculously high calorie pasta dish that I didn't want to eat anyway!
But after lots of experimentation, I perfected the simple and easy prawn risotto! Quick, creamy and full of flavor and those prawns soak up the flavor so you have the taste of the sea mixed in with the earthy risotto broth flavors.
Recipe Highlights
- I love making prawn risotto because it's like a warm hug - creamy, comforting, and packed with flavor. But there is no cream!
- The texture is spot-on for me-creamy rice with a bit of bite
- There's something oddly therapeutic about stirring the risotto slowly, watching it transform into a creamy masterpiece.
- It serves 4 and is under 500 calories per serve
Ingredients
The Rice
Using the right type of rice for a risotto is really important, and is pretty much the difference as to whether it ends up being creamy or clumpy! By far the best rice to use is Arborio rice, which is s short grain rice with a high starch content which is what helps to creates that creamy risotto texture.
What happens if you use another type of rice? Using other types of rice like basmati, jasmine are both long grain rice varieties and would likely result in a less creamy texture and a lack of flavor absorption, as they typically have lower starch content and different cooking properties.
Prawns a.k.a.Shrimp
Wherever you're from and whichever you're using, the important thing is to buy fresh uncooked prawns or shrimps. You can even use frozen ones. Just make sure to defrost first, draining any excess liquid off.
Before cooking, the prawns should be peeled so the shells are removed, heads removed, and deveined. Tails can either be left on, or you can take them off if you prefer. Love Prawns? Check out my Garlic Prawn Pizza, Garlic Prawn Fettuccine, creamy garlic prawns, or noodles with garlic prawns!
The Wine!
This risotto needs wine! Highly recommend not skipping it as it definitely does add additional flavor. Make sure to use a dry white wine, not a sweet one The wine totally makes a difference as it helps balance the richness so that it isn't to heavy.
How To Make
- Cook Prawns/Shrimp: Add 2 tablespoons of butter into a large skillet or saucepan and place it over medium heat. Incorporate prawns/shrimp and cook them for 2 minutes until they're pale pink. Remove cooked shrimp from the skillet. Set it aside on a covered plate.
From this....
To This.....
- Cook Onion & Garlic: Add 1 tablespoon of butter and chopped onion, cook until translucent. Then add minced garlic and stir for a minute to fragrant.
- Add Rice: Add rice and stir for 3-4 minutes. Once you see the rice getting transparent, add white wine and stir continuously until it evaporates.
- Add Broth, then prawns/shrimp and green onions: Next, add 1 cup of broth and stir. Add one more cup of broth at a time as soon as the liquid reduces. Finally, add sliced green onions and shrimp back to the skillet. Continue stirring until the rice is cooked to your desired level of doneness. It should be creamy but not mushy.
- Add Butter and Parmesan: Once the rice is ready, turn off the heat. Add 3 tablespoons of butter and ½ cup of parmesan cheese and stir until nicely combined.
Top Tip
- Using a storebought stock or broth is totally fine. Its quick, easy and convenient. A fish, seafood, or even chicken broth will all work well with this recipe!
I really can't emphasize enough that you must make this recipe using Arborio rice. Using any other type of rice will not work unfortunately and there will be no creamy texture.
This is no ordinary risotto with prawns. Creamy without the cream, flavor packed and lower in calories! If you fancy something a little more indulgent, then these light and crispy Tempura Prawns are calling your name
Creamy Garlic Prawn/Shrimp Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups arborio rice
- 500 grams prawns (peeled and deveined)
- 4 cups fish, seafood or chicken broth/stock
- ½ cup parmesan cheese (grated)
- ¼ cup dry white wine (not too sweet)
- 1 brown onion (finely diced)
- 1 shallots/green Onion (sliced)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook Prawns/Shrimp: Add 2 tablespoons of salted butter into a large skillet or saucepan and place it over medium heat. Add 500 grams prawns (peeled and deveined) and cook them for 2 minutes until they're pale pink. Remove cooked prawns from skillet and set it aside on a covered plate.
- Cook Onion & Garlic: Add 1 tablespoon of salted butter and 1 brown onion (finely diced), cook until translucent. Then add 2 garlic cloves (minced) and stir for a minute to fragrant.
- Add Rice: Add 1 ½ cups arborio rice and stir for 3-4 minutes. Once you see the rice getting transparent, add ¼ cup dry white wine (not too sweet) and stir continuously until it evaporates.
- Add Stock, then prawns/shrimp and green onions: Add 1 cup of stock and stir though for 1 minute. Then, add one more cup of broth at a time as soon as the liquid reduces, until all 4 cups of broth have been added. Finally, add cooked prawns and 1 shallots/green Onion (sliced) back into the skillet. Continue stirring until the rice is cooked to your desired level of doneness. It should be creamy, like porridge but not mushy.
- Add Butter and Parmesan: Once the rice is ready, turn off the heat. Add 3 tablespoons of butter, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon thyme and ½ cup parmesan cheese (grated) and stir until nicely combined.
- Serve: Serve on individual plates and garnish with 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped) and extra parmesan on top.
Notes
- Rice: You must use Arborio rice to make this risotto. Arborio is more starchier which is what gives the risotto its creaminess. Using any other rice (ie: regular rice) will not work.
- Stock: A store-bought stock or broth is perfectly fine to use for this recipe, and while I prefer to us fish stock, it works just as well with chicken or vegetable stock.
- Frozen Prawns? Works with frozen prawns. Make sure they are fully defrosted and drained of excess moisture before cooking. Prawns should have heads and shells removed and be deveined before cooking. Tails can be on or off, depending on your preference.
- Consistency: Its always better to take the risotto off the stove whilst it is still a little "runnier" that you might like because when it is off the heat, the rice grains will still be absorbing the liquid. Whether you like it more like "soup" or more like "porridge" comes down to preference.
- Peas: If you are longing for some color, I recommend throwing in 1 cup of frozen green peas at step 4! Adds a pop of color and extra fiber.
Nutrition
Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners. Calories have been calculated for your convenience using My Fitness Pal and are based on the ingredients listed in the recipe card.
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