Seafood Risotto Recipe (Frutti di Mare) (2024)

• 1 1/2 c Arborio or Carnaroli rice
• 8 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tbs butter
• 1 small onion or leek -finely diced
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes -quartered
• 5 cloves garlic -grated
• 3/4 lb wild shrimp - cleaned and shells reserved for stock
• 1/2 lb littleneck clams or baby clams -scrubbed clean
• 1/2 lb mussels -cleaned and beards removed
• meat from 1 cooked crab leg
• 5 tbs flat leaf Italian parsley -minced
• 1 tsp saffron threads
• 1 lemon
• 1 pinch sea salt + more to taste

Seafood Stock

• 2 qt purified water
• Shells from 3/4 pounds of shrimp
• The shell from the crab leg - optional
• 1 carrot -cut into chunks
• 1 celery stalk – cut into chunks
• 8 sprigs parsley
• 2 leaves bay
• 1/4 small onion
• 10 peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp sea salt + more to taste
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes

US Customary - Metric

• Start making the homemade seafood stock by combining all the stock ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a gentle simmer on low flame and cook for 1 hour. Remove the stock from the flame and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Stir in the saffron and allow to steep.

Make the Risotto:

• In a heavy bottom sauce pan heat up 3 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Add the minced onion or leek with a pinch of sea salt and sweat it on low heat for about 10 minutes until translucent.

• Stir in your risotto rice and allow it to toast for a few minutes until no longer opaque.

• Add the wine to the pan and stir until almost all is absorbed, but DO NOT let the rice dry out completely.

• Continue by adding the saffron infused stock a ladle at the time, waiting for the rice to absorb it before adding more. Make sure to maintain a constant ripple and NEVER ALLOW the RICE to DRY OUT.

• Continue cooking for about 20 minutes or until the rice grains are tender but have a little bite, Al Dente. Remove from the heat while it has the consistency of thick cream and stir in 1 tablespoon of butter for a silky finish .

• About 10 minutes before your risotto is done start cooking the seafood.

• Heat up a stainless steel skillet with 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium low flame.

• Pat dry the shrimp with paper towels and drizzle it with a lug of extra virgin olive oil. Season with a pinch of sea salt, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Mix together with the grated garlic then add it to the hot skillet.

  Toss it around a couple of times and only cook it for a minute or two until it curls up and turns pink. Transfer to a bowl and drizzle with a little freshly squeezed lemon juice.

• Add the tomatoes to the pan you cooked the shrimp in together with a pinch of sea salt. Hit it with the 1/4 cup of the white wine.

• Using a silicone spatula make sure to scrape up all the bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes until the tomatoes burst and start releasing their juices to form a nice sauce with the wine.

• Add the cooked shrimp with the juices back to the pan together with the crab meat and 3 tbs of the minced parsley. Gently toss to coat and drizzle with a little more lemon juice and olive oil. Adjust seasoning to taste and set aside.

• In a different skillet heat up the remaining 2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil over medium flame and add your clams and mussels. Hit it with a splash of stock or wine and cover with a lid. Cook until they open, about 3-5 minutes and discard all the unopened ones.

• Divide your risotto between 4 plates and top each with 5 shrimps, 4 clams, 3 mussels and 2 pieces of the crab meat.

• Drizzle the entire plate with a spoon full of the tomato and wine sauce from the shrimp and crab.

• Serve the seafood risotto with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over the top and some chopped parsley.

• No mussels? No worries, double up on the clams or shrimp, maybe add some squid tentacles or a few baby scallops at the last minute.
• Make it without wine - simply replace it with some stock and bump up the lemon for extra zest!
• Wine pairing - this is a dish best served with a glass of chilled dry white wine, like a Pinot Grigio, Soave or Verdicchio!
• Storage + Reheating - any leftover risotto can be stored in lidded glass containers and refrigerated for a couple of days (freezing is not recommended). Reheat on the stove top covered with a lid on medium low heat stirring often until heated through. Add a splash of veggie stock for a creamy texture.
• You may also drizzle the risotto with a little bit of the juices from the clams and mussels if you prefer.

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Italian Recipes, risotto