Bright lemon zest, plump sautéed shrimp, and sweet green peas folded into impossibly creamy arborio rice make this Risotto al Limone e Gamberetti — Lemon Risotto with Shrimp — one of the most refreshing primi I’ve ever served. This lemon shrimp risotto gets its silky texture from slow, patient stirring that coaxes the starch out of the rice. Lemon is infused three ways: zest infused broth, hit of fresh lemon juice and finely grated zest, so every creamy spoonful tastes bright rather than heavy. A scattering of fresh chives at the end adds a pop of color and a mild oniony bite that balances the richness. It’s also naturally gluten free, and easy to make vegetarian by simply leaving out the shrimp — the lemon and peas carry plenty of flavor on their own.
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Italy’s Amalfi Coast Inspired Dish
The historic Amalfi Coast in Italy’s Campania region, spans 13 cliffside towns along the Sorrentine Peninsula south of Naples. It is renowned for dramatic coastlines, terraced lemon groves, and pastel-colored villages. You’ll find many dishes incorporating their amazing lemon flavors, including the delightful liquor limoncello. And naturally, many dishes pull from fresh seafood catches of the day, including succulent shrimp. These are the flavors that inspired our dish – and as you take a bite you can imagine sitting in a seaside bistro with the sun reflecting off azure waves.
Wine Pairing
Original Pairing: Bellini Frascati from Lazio
General Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc, Alberino, Vermentino, Dry Riesling, Muscadet (high acid, crisp, light white wines)
Special Ingredients
Rice best for Risotto
There are two kinds of rice with extra high starch content that is required for making traditional risotto dishes; Arborio and Carnaroli. Arborio ric eis more commonly available in standard U.S. grocery stores, and therefore what most home cooks use to make risotto (including myself). However, I have to mention Carnaroli rice, with a higher starch content lends to an even creamier risotto. I it proclaimed the best rice to use for risotto. But my aborio version was delightfully delicious. You can order both online
Equipment
Large Saute Pan with Lid
I find it easier to make this dish in a large saute pan (or sometimes called an every day pan) that has steep sides than a taller pot. This allows to the ingredient to spread out during the toasting stage and more evenly disperse the liquid in the rice.
Planning the dish
You can make part of this dish a day ahead, and quickly finish it the day of your event. The first part is making the rice base (before adding seafood). You refridgerate it overnight and then heat it up to finish off with lemon, shrimp and peas. It is noted in the recipe where to pause for the make ahead portion and then the finishing part.
Timing the Element
1 Day Prior: If using frozen shrimp, place in refrigerator to begin defrosting. Steep lemon peel in vegetable stock, then make rice base for risotto. Refrigerate overnight.
Early Day of: Check if shrimp are defrosted, rinse under cool water in a collander to speed up defrosting. Prep shrimp per instructions. Prep chives. Rinse frozen peas to defrost and keep in fridge.
1 hour to Serve: Heat up risotto base over medium-low heat in large pan or pot. Add lemon juice and more veg stock to loosen if needed. Bring peas out of fridge to come to room temp.
30 min to Serve: Add chopped shrimp and finish per directions.
20 min to Serve: Allow risotto to rest for 10 minutes. Saute whole shrimp for plating.
Serve: Plate risotto, sauteed shrimp and garnish with chives
Plating Tips
A shallow bowl or plate with raised edges work well for risotto. This version sets well and doesn’t spread out much. While there is plenty of shrimp in the dish, having one large sauteed shrimp placed on top provides some height and identifies the seafood as shrimp.
For a garnish, we used chives as it added both complementary flavor and color to dish. Chopped chives sprinkles around and two small chive spears (tips) over the large shrimp. Chive blossoms would also be a beautiful garnish.
(see Wares section for plating supplies & ideas)
Pairing Alterations
Lemon Intensity
This is a strongly lemon forward dish and not all white wines will work with that intensity. You can mellow the flavor simply by decreasing the amount of lemon juice and zest in the dish. Another option is to use a stronger fish stock instead of vegetable stock.
Recipe
Risotto al Limone e Gamberetti – Lemon Risotto with Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped or chives green onions 1 grilled shrimp
- 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt plus more to taste
- 1 cup Arborio Rice (or sub Car..
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (even better to use wine serving it with)
- 5 cups mild vegetable broth, heated (can sub light chicken broth or fish broth)
- 12 oz cleaned uncooked medium shrimp (prawn), chopped big chunk, halve med size shrimp, or 1/3 large shrimp
- 2 lemons to make 1/4 c juice, 1 ribbon zest peel, 1 micro zested (only yellow, avoid any white pith)
- 3/4 cup peas dethawed or fresh
Sauteed Shrimp Topping
- 12 large shrimp fresh or dethawed, peeled with tail on
- 1/4 tsp salt extra to taste
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper extra to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
Garnish
- 2 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
- 24 chive spear tips optional garnishing
Instructions
Prep Shrimp, Peas and Garnishes
- This is to be done the day of serving. If making risotto base a day ahead of time, skip this for now and prep for finishing stage.
- Defrost: place shrimp (if frozen) in a colander in a sink. Run cold water over it to
- Clean: once shrimp is pliable, remove any shells. For medium shrimp, also remove tail parts. If you are also sauteing shrimp for topping, leave tail on).
- Make sure all shrimp is deveined cleanly, remove any missed vein (black or gray) stringy bits with a small knife.
- Chop up medium shrimp in large chunks (they will shrink when cooked). Place in contain with cover or lid and refrigerate until ready to use.
- For large shrimp topping, place in seperate with cover or lid and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Dethaw peas either by putting fridge overnight, or bringing out and rinsing under cold water. Keep in fridge until ready to use.
Broth Infusion (for risotto base)
- Start with clean and dry lemons.
- Make lemon ribbons: using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from 1 of the lemons in long, wide strips. Try to remove only the colored portion of the peel, not the white.
- Using a micro grater, grate the zest from the other lemon. Set aside in seperate container.
- Halve the lemons and squeeze ¼ cup juice. The juice and zest will be used to finish the risotto, refrigerate them if making base a day ahead of serving.
- Heat up vegetable stock in a pot with lemon peel to a boil. Let simmer for at least 10minutes. Keep at a simmer while making risotto.
Risotto Base
- Heat oil in a heavy saute pan over medium heat.
- Add the onions and ¼ tsp salt and cook until they are translucent, about 7 minutes
- Add the rice and stir until it is well coated with the oil. Allow to cook stirring occasionally to brown (toast) the rice a bit. You want to see a tan coloring over the majority of rice. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn.
- Add the white wine, and stir continually over medium heat until it is absorbed. The pan should look dry.
- Add 3 cups of hot broth, stirring briskly for 10 minutes. Using a whisk compatible with your pan is a really good for this. (If non stick – use a silicon whisk). This is where a lot of the break down of starches occur.
- Continue adding a couple ladles full of hot broth, and stirring the rice. Let the broth soak in well before adding more.
- After 20 minutes of this process, test the rice to see if tender enough to bite through. If tender, do not add more broth at this time. If not and the broth in pan looks absorbed, add a little more broth and after 5 minutes test again. Continue this process to get tender rice..
- To finish later, stop at this point. Spread in pan and refrigerate to quickly cool down. Then store in air tight container.
Finishing Risotto
- If you prepared the base ahead of time and refrigerated, put it in a large pot with a lid and reheat over medium low heat. Otherwise – continue…
- Add lemon juice and zest to rice and heat to bubbling.
- Add chopped shrimp and stir in. Turn off heat and cover to cook shrimp for 5 – 10 minutes. Don’t uncover the pot until they look opaque.
- Stir in peas to finish and let sit for at least 10 more minutes. Taste and season with salt/ pepper if needed.
- Serve risotto in individual portions or family style in a large dish.
Sauteed Shrimp Topper
- Take out large shrimp with tails still on- make sure defrosted. Pat dry. Put in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper (tossing to coat evenly)
- In a large pan over medium high heat, place in butter and oil Allow to melt and mix together.
- Place shrimp around in pan one side down, in a circular order (so you know which ones you placed in first)
- It will likely take you a few minutes to place all the shrimp in the pan. One more minute, and start turning over the first shrimp you place in the pan. (Ensuring you are cooking for about 3 minutes)
- After flipping all the shrimp over, wait one minute then check the first shrimp you put down. When the center area no longer looked solid white and the tails have curved in (almost touching the top part), start taking the shrimp out, or order of how you put them in.
- Place one sauteed shrimp on each serving of risotto, or if family style, over risotto.
Garnishes
- Clean and dry chives. Arrange so the bases are aligned.
- Chop chives from the base up, leaving 2 inches from the tips.
- Sprinkle chopped chives over each serving of risotto, or if family style, over entire dish.
- Place spears of chives leaning over sauteed shrimp
