How to Make Shrimp Risotto & Best Side Dishes

Last Updated on 20th July 2022 by

The creamy rice dish risotto pairs so well with shrimp, creating shrimp risotto- a true comfort classic. It’s a dish that seems complex on the surface and might appear to be a little over your head if you’re a novice cook.

However, I’m going to share with you a method for how to make shrimp risotto that breaks everything down easily into simple steps. It’s a recipe that is easy enough that I think just about anyone can handle it.

What Is Shrimp Risotto?

Risotto is typically really rich and really creamy, made from risotto rice that turns to a creamy consistency when cooked properly.

Combine risotto with some garlic and shrimp to make a wonderful shrimp risotto that you’re going to want to have over and over again.

Risotto as a dish has been around for generations, and it’s often considered a fancy food, but you don’t have to be rich to enjoy it or to make it at home.

This Italian sauce is pretty easy to make on your own at home, and then pairing it with some garlic and shrimp makes for a wonderful dish that can be a meal on its own or paired with other foods for an appealing spread.

What to Serve with Shrimp Risotto?

If you think of this like a typical Italian dinner, then you probably already have some ideas of what can be paired with the shrimp risotto. It’s really good with some garlic bread or Italian bread.

Any kind of starchy bread is a good partner with shrimp risotto. It also goes really well with steamed vegetables, and I prefer broccoli, carrots, and green beans with my shrimp risotto.

Try serving it with a salad, like Caesar salad, beet salad, or even chicken salad for a nice double meat combo.

When choosing foods to go with a dish like this, consider the different textures and flavors that will end up with. You may also want to think about how the colors work with one another. Try to pick foods that complement the shrimp risotto well by offering something different from what it does.

What Wine Goes with Shrimp Risotto?

There are a few different wines you could try with this dish to help accentuate the flavor and make the most of the different components.

My recommendation is Chardonnay, though most white wines would pair well with it. I like the way the flavors complement each other and yet don’t overwhelm one another at the same time. That’s the sign of a good pairing.

The chardonnay’s texture does a great job of pulling some of the flavor out from the shrimp and highlighting it very well.

How Many Calories in Shrimp Risotto?

This is a pretty high calorie dish. The recipe I’m going to give you uses olive oil, shrimp, parmesan cheese, and other ingredients that aren’t necessarily low calorie foods. Put them together and you get a very flavorful dish but also one that’s high in calories.

A single serving of shrimp risotto will give you right about 400 calories, and you’ll get four servings from the recipe I’m going to share with you down below.

Shrimp Risotto Recipe

I said already that shrimp risotto can be complex, but I want to give you a simple method of making it, and I’m going to make good on that promise.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of arborio rice
• 1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 1 pound in medium wash shrimp
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1/4 cup of parsley, chopped
• 4 cups of fish broth
• 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat.
2. Once the oil is hot, add your shrimp, but don’t crowd the skillet. Add the seasonings as well and cook without stirring for two minutes.
3. Then, flip the shrimp over and cook until opaque and pink on both sides. That should take about a minute or two more.
4. Set the shrimp to the side and pour the rest of the oil into the skillet. Add in garlic and onion and sauté for three to four minutes, keeping the heat to medium.
5. Add the rice next and stir frequently as it cooks for a full minute.
6. Add in two cups of broth and cook on medium heat, stirring regularly until the liquid has been almost entirely absorbed by the rice.
7. Add in the remainder of the liquid a cup at a time and continue cooking until the rice turns out creamy and plump.
8. Take the skillet off the heat and add in parsley and parmesan, stirring lightly.
9. Combine the shrimp and risotto and serve.

The recipe I have given you uses fish broth, but you could use chicken broth or veggie broth, as you prefer. Parmesan is the traditional cheese for this dish, but you could use other ones instead or use a mixture of cheeses, as you like.

There are a lot of variations you can do on the shrimp risotto dish, and what I’ve given you is just a basic recipe to work with.

If you want to make this dish with veggies, I suggest adding peas, mushrooms, tomatoes, or asparagus. You can add several of these at once or just one of them.

Whatever you’re adding to the shrimp risotto, make sure it cooks all the way through. Shrimp cooks very quickly, and the rice doesn’t take too long to cook either, but other additions may take longer. They may need to cook separately from the rest of the dish.

What I like about this dish is that just about everything is made in the same skillet, so there’s not a lot of cleanup afterwards. That makes it look a lot simpler than it might be, but I still don’t think it’s too complicated for most people to handle.

Pauline

Website | + posts

I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!

• Pauline

  https://ireallylikefood.com/author/mnaden/

  Poutine On A Sandwich Recipe!
• Pauline

  https://ireallylikefood.com/author/mnaden/

  Chocolate, Stout & Ancho Chili Con Carne Recipe
• Pauline

  https://ireallylikefood.com/author/mnaden/

  Never Waste a Fry Again: Exciting Recipes to Revive Your Leftover French Fries
• Pauline

  https://ireallylikefood.com/author/mnaden/

  Quick and Tasty Hibachi Chicken Recipe at Home