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a pasta bowl plate filled lemongrass prawn risotto w/shallots in a cast-iron skillet with a wooden spoon

25-Minute Lemongrass Prawn Risotto (Shrimp Risotto)


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  • Author: Kelly
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings or scale for larger crowds 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

This Ultra Creamy Lemongrass and Prawn Risotto is full of shrimp flavor, easy to make, and really delicious. It gets a flavor lift from a quick and easy homemade shrimp stock perfumed with a bit of lemongrass. And this risotto recipe gets extra creaminess from Carnaroli risotto rice from the Italian Po River Delta. Toasted rice with sautéed aromatics like lemongrass, garlic, scallions, Borretane onions, shallots, and just a hint of fresh ginger, a nice pat of butter, and freshly grated Grana Padano cheese finish this creamy risotto before it’s topped with 4-minute pan-seared prawns.


Ingredients

Scale

Risotto Ingredients

  • 6 ounces Risotto rice (Arborio, Carnaroli, or Vialone Nano) (180g)
  • up to 4 cups of homemade shrimp stock (or store-bought seafood, chicken, or vegetable stock) (1L) *recipe below if needed
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (15-30g)
  • 1 large scallion (1 ounce) (30g) (sub scallions, or yellow onion)
  • 1 stalk of lemongrass, cut in half and split down the middle
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh ginger, scraped into a paste (1g)
  • 2 tablespoons, unsalted butter (25g)
  • 2 tablespoons Grana Padano grated cheese, or more to taste (15g)

Pan-Seared Prawn Ingredients

  • 6 large prawns, heads-on (3 per serving) (sub Argentinian red shrimp)
  • 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (7g)
  • salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Homemade Quick Vegetable or Shrimp Stock Ingredients

  • 5 cups water
  • 1 carrot
  • 1/2 of celery stalk
  • 1/2 of an onion
  • 1/2 stalk of lemongrass, split in half
  • reserved shells and heads from prawns
  • salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste


Instructions

  1. Clean the prawns. Remove the heads and shells from the prawns and set them aside. Devein and butterfly the prawns and pat dry. Set aside while you prep the risotto. 
  2. Make the shrimp stock.  In a medium pot, add all of the stock ingredients including the shrimp shells, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the other risotto components. *If you’re using store-bought stock, simply add the lemongrass and prawn shells to it and heat it to a boil, and reduce it to a simmer to enhance the flavor. 
  3. Sautée the aromatics + prawn heads. In a medium skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, lemongrass, garlic, shallots, onions, and ginger, season with salt and cook over medium heat until fragrant and the onions start to become translucent (about 3 to 4 minutes).  Add the prawn heads to the skillet and continue cooking for about 5 minutes more, or until the shrimp have become bright red, opaque, and released some of their juices. 
  4. Add the prawn heads to the shrimp stock. Remove the prawn heads from the skillet and add them directly to the simmering shrimp stock while you prepare the risotto.
  5. Cook the risotto (20 to 25 minutes). Add the rice to the hot skillet and stir it well to coat the rice and continue cooking until the rice is nicely toasted and opaque (about 5 minutes). Remove the lemongrass from the toasted rice and add about 1 cup of hot stock, stirring constantly, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Adjust the salt as needed. When most of the liquid has been absorbed, add another cup of hot stock and continue stirring allowing the rice to absorb the liquid. Adjust the salt as needed. Continue allowing the rice to absorb the liquid adding more stock as needed and stirring consistently. About 3/4 of the way through cooking the risotto, turn the heat down to low and continue cooking (stirring occasionally) while you prepare the pan-seared prawns. 
  6. Pan-sear the prawns (total cooking time 3 minutes max). Season the dried prawns on both sides with salt. Add a little olive oil to a small skillet and heat it to medium-high. Just before the skillet starts to smoke, add the prawns in a single layer, do not overcrowd them, and do not move them once they hit the hot skillet. Allow the prawns to cook for at least 1 1/2 minutes, or until they have a nice golden brown sear on them. Flip them over and cook for approximately 1 more minute for a total cooking time of just 3 minutes. Remove them from the skillet to a platter while you finish the risotto. 
  7. Finish + assemble the risotto. When the risotto has just about 5 minutes left to cook, add the butter and the green scallions and stir everything to combine, and continue cooking for a minute or two longer until the risotto is creamy and al dente. Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the grated cheese. You may add a little more stock to loosen up the risotto if necessary. Top the risotto with the prawns and serve immediately Enjoy!

Notes

  • The first rule of thumb to cooking perfect risotto is to never wash the rice. Doing so washes away some of the good starch that’s necessary to create this ultra-creamy rice dish. Risotto rice is first toasted in a little oil and then cooked very slowly while adding about one cup of hot stock or broth at a time allowing the rice kernels to almost fully absorb the liquid before adding another cup.
  • The near-constant stirring of the rice as it cooks and absorbs the liquid helps to rough up the kernel surface which allows the starches to be better released from the rice into the cooking liquid. This process creates a rich, naturally velvety sauce with soft but al dente rice grains.
  • You may add more or less liquid if you want a looser or sturdier risotto. Often, towards the end of cooking, butter and/or Parmigiano or Grana Padano cheese are added while vigorously whisking everything which produces a perfectly textured risotto.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Fish + Seafood
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/2
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