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Lemony Shrimp Risotto with Broccoli 780 | Umami Girl-2
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5 from 6 votes

Lemony Shrimp Risotto with Broccoli

This is a great, company-worthy meal that makes an instant dinner party pretty much straight from the pantry and freezer (so you can always have these ingredients on hand).
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Grains
Cuisine: American
Keyword: lemony shrimp risotto, shrimp and broccoli risotto
Calories: 399kcal
Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons (45 grams) butter, divided
  • 8 garlic cloves chopped
  • 1 pound (454 grams) small wild shrimp, peeled, cleaned, and defrosted if frozen
  • Juice of 1 lemon about 3 tablespoons/45 ml, divided
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt divided
  • 1 ½ cups (270 grams) arborio rice
  • ½ cup (120 ml) dry white wine that you like to drink
  • 4 cups (945 ml) lower-salt seafood, chicken, or vegetable broth
  • 10 ounces (284 grams) frozen chopped broccoli or petite florets, defrosted
  • ½ cup (40 grams) grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
  • ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

  • In a 12-inch nonstick pan or shallow Dutch oven, melt one tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat.
  • Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds to a minute, until very fragrant.
  • Add shrimp to pan in a single layer. Cook for about a minute on one side, until becoming opaque, then flip and heat the other side until just cooked through. Sprinkle with about a tablespoon of the lemon juice and stir.
  • Remove from pan and reserve.
  • Heat the remaining two tablespoons butter and the olive oil over medium-high in the same pan.
  • Add onion and ½ teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
  • Add rice, stir well to coat with butter and oil, and cook for a minute.
  • Pour in wine and stir to incorporate. Simmer, stirring frequently, until almost evaporated.
  • Add broth by the cupful, continuing to stir frequently and adding more as it absorbs. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt during this process.
  • Stir in broccoli as you add the last cup of broth.
  • Stop cooking when there’s still a bit of thick broth remaining and the rice is tender but with the tiniest bite in the center of the grain. In the last minute or so of cooking, stir in reserved shrimp with any accumulated liquid, along with remaining lemon juice.
  • Remove from heat and stir in parmesan and parsley, along with some freshly ground black pepper if you like.
  • Let rest for five minutes before serving.

Notes

  1. Arborio rice is an Italian short-grain variety of rice. Its high starch content helps create risotto's silky, creamy broth. And its superior quality means the grains retain their al dente bite amidst the creaminess. Alternatively, you can use carnaroli rice. It works similarly but has a slightly longer grain, higher starch content, and firmer texture.
  2. Whenever possible, I make this recipe using the fabulous liquid left over from poaching shrimp cocktail, which I keep in the freezer. Other good options include lower-salt commercial shrimp or seafood stock, chicken broth, or a good vegetable broth. (This vegetable broth has by far my favorite flavor profile.) If you’re serving some vegetarians, you can cook the shrimp in a separate pan, use vegetable broth, and, when you’re ready to serve, just arrange shrimp on top of part of the risotto or in individual serving bowls.
  3. Use a dry white wine that you'd be happy to drink (and serve the rest of the bottle at the table!)
  4. Small wild shrimp from the freezer section are perfect here. They're less expensive than larger shrimp and easier to eat and to distribute throughout the dish. I like to buy them peeled and cleaned, either with tails on or off.
  5. When I first published this recipe, I called for frozen chopped broccoli, which is nice and small and distributes so well throughout the risotto. These days it's nearly impossible to find, so petite florets are just fine, too.
  6. Risotto's combination of firm-tender rice and creamy broth will be at its best shortly after cooking. I don't recommend making it in advance. If you need to, you can parcook it in advance, proceeding though step nine below but stopping with a couple of cups of broth still to add. Finish right before serving.
  7. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. They'll taste great but thicken up a bit, which is fine. You can reheat in the microwave. They also make great arancini with fresh goat cheese or mozzarella in the middle.

Nutrition

Calories: 399kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 15.2g | Fat: 15g | Fiber: 3.1g