Creamy Garlic Prawn/Shrimp Risotto

grey plate with garlic prawn and shrimp risotto

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.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 30

Servings people

Calories 409kcal

Author Kim

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

Metric - US Customary

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