This shrimp risotto recipe is an elegant dish for any occasion. A lemon risotto is topped with lightly sauteed shrimp for an elegant anytime kind of meal.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: It has the perfect balance of garlic, lemon, and parmesan, making it irresistibly delicious.
- Skill level: Risotto takes a bit of time to make, but it’s easy.
- Technique: Ensure you’re using warm broth when adding to the rice. Continuous stirring releases starches for a creamy result without cream.
- Swaps: Swap shrimp for seared scallops or other cooked seafood like chopped lobster. Wine adds flavor but can be replaced with additional broth if needed.
- Time-Saving Tip: Risotto takes a while to cook-cook it using ¾ of the broth (it should still be quite firm/al dente) and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Before serving, add warm broth as directed below to finish the dish – this is how many chefs prepare risotto in restaurants! Use pre-shredded Parmesan to cut down on prep time.
- Freezing: Freezing isn’t recommended since risotto can turn grainy when reheated, but leftovers will keep in the fridge for a couple of days and reheat well with a splash of broth!
Ingredient Tips For Lemon Shrimp Risotto
- Rice: Short-grain arborio rice is the starchy star of this recipe and comes out creamy. Long grain white rice doesn’t have as much starch and can become a bit mushy with this technique.
- Seasonings: Use fresh lemon if possible. Lemon zest, paprika, and garlic enhance the delicate flavor of shrimp. I find the broth adds enough salt for our liking but feel free to add a pinch of salt to taste.
- Shrimp: Use peeled and deveined shrimp to keep it quick and easy. If serving guests, I like the tail on for appearance, but if you’d prefer, use shrimp without tails for easy eating.
Variations
- Add a boost of color (and nutrients) by stirring in sliced mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, peas, asparagus, or spinach. Be sure to warm the vegetables first.
- Substitute shallots for onions for an extra boost of flavor, or stir in some fresh herbs such as chopped basil.
- Use dry white wine such as sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio if possible, but chicken or vegetable broth can be substituted. If subbing, be sure to use the same amount of liquid.
- Short on time? Try whipping up risotto in the Instant Pot.
Leftovers and Storage
- Keep leftover shrimp risotto in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stove with a bit of broth or milk stirred in to make it creamy again.
- Freeze portions in zippered bags for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as directed.
More Risotto Recipes We Love
Did you make this Shrimp Risotto? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Shrimp Risotto
Shrimp Risotto is elegant and flavorful with garlic, lemon, & parmesan in every bite!
Equipment
Ingredients
Risotto
- 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ small yellow onion finely diced
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup white wine or extra broth
- 3-4 cups chicken broth warmed, more as needed
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese plus extra for serving
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
Shrimp
- ¾ pound medium shrimp peeled, deveined and tails removed
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
Risotto
- Zest the lemon and juice 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Set aside 1 teaspoon of lemon zest for the shrimp.
- Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add rice and continue stirring until rice begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook just until fragrant.
- Add wine, lemon juice, and remaining lemon zest. Cook until evaporated while stirring.
- Begin adding the warmed broth, about ½ cup at a time, stirring until evaporated after each addition. This will take about 15-20 minutes.
- Once all of the broth has been added, remove from the heat and stir in parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons of butter, and parsley. Cover and set aside.
Shrimp
- Toss shrimp with the reserved teaspoon of lemon zest, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add shrimp in a single layer and cook 1 minute.
- Flip over, add butter and garlic. Cook 2-3 minutes more or just until cooked through. Remove from the saucepan.
- Stir the risotto, season with salt, and pepper to taste. Spoon the shrimp over the risotto.
- Garnish with parsley, lemon slices, and additional parmesan cheese for serving. Drizzle with olive oil if desired.
Notes
It is important that the broth is heated.
Optional add-in: 1/2 cup defrosted peas or steamed asparagus at the end.
To make risotto ahead of time, add about 3/4 of the broth while stirring as directed. Cool and refrigerate. To serve, heat the risotto on the stovetop and once heated, continue adding the remaining warmed broth a bit at a time until the risotto is tender and creamy.
Option: Warm the dish or bowl before serving risotto (fill it with really hot tap water while you’re finishing up the shrimp).
Nutrition Information
Calories: 490 | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 172mg | Sodium: 1172mg | Potassium: 400mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 496IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 233mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Dinner, Seafood, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Hello! I haven’t cooked much with fish, is frozen best? We’re landlocked so I’m not sure what type would be best to buy. Excited to try this recipe!
Frozen is a great option! Let us know how it goes!
Do you use frozen shrimp for this recipe, or shrimp from the store? Not sure about freshness, I’m very new to cooking with seafood. We’re landlocked so want to make sure it will be good :)
I often use frozen shrimp just make sure to defrost it according to the package instruction before using.
Oh WOW !! I made this for dinner just now, on a freezing cold day. Spectacularly good ! I did double up on the amount of shrimp, but otherwise, followed your recipe and it was perfect. A perfect 10, in my opinion. Thanks !
Debi, that sounds amazing! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, especially on a chilly day. Doubling the shrimp sounds like a delicious idea—thanks for trying the recipe and for your kind words!
made this for supper last night, turned out great. Your recipes are so easy to follow and so practical.
keep up the good work!
Thanks for trying our recipe, Fran! I am glad you enjoyed it.
These are great recipes. How would I adapt these For an instant pot?
Any suggestions?
I would suggest following the method on this Instant Pot Risotto Recipe. You can brown the shrimp separately or brown it in the IP before. If browning before, be sure to scrape up any brown bits to avoid a burn notice. Refrigerate the shrimp while cooking the risotto and then add it to the IP and cover, the heat should heat the shrimp through easily. Let us know how it goes!
Can you use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth?
You definitely can Christine. Vegetable broth tends to be a little sweeter than chicken broth, so the taste will be a little different, but it’ll still be delicious!
My family & I LOVED this risotto dish. I tried making risotto before with no success! This recipe is perfect. I followed the recipe exactly as shown. Will definitely be making it again. I have a blank recipe book where any recipe I add has to taste so delicious. I’m definitely adding this recipe. Actually I’ve already added other spendwithpennies recipes so thank you so much from across the Atlantic in Ireland
So happy to hear that, Ciara! I am glad you are enjoying our recipes.