EASY TO MAKE LEMON RISOTTO WITH SHRIMP, COOKED LOW AND SLOW UNTIL PERFECT!
I once heard that making risotto was super scary, and you had to continually stir it from beginning to end or it would end up like little pebbles of burnt rice, a complete disaster.
I disagree.
Making risotto is like having a baby. Although I haven’t actually done this, I have seen it go down twice. A little bit of pushing is akin to the stirring of the rice and then a break, to gather some thoughts (or add some stock) before another round of stirring slash pushing.
Okay, maybe that’s not the best analogy to use, and I’m sure there’s a hundred mom’s including my wife, would take great pleasure in telling me that babies and lemon risotto have zero similarities.
COOKING THE PERFECT LEMON SHRIMP RISOTTO.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that making risotto is a slow and gradual process. You definitely can’t rush it but there’s no need to stand over it from beginning to end. Pour yourself some wine and sit close by the stove, taking a peek now and again. Stir every time you add stock and then go back to your wine. You can also check our salmon bites recipe here.
WHAT SHOULD MY LEMON SHRIMP RISOTTO LOOK LIKE?
The end result should be creamy like this Wild Salmon version and still a touch on the liquid side. As the rice cools it might seem to be getting thicker, a quick fix is just to add a touch more stock and fold it through or some butter right before you plan to serve it. I always plan on having more stock than I might need, I’d rather throw away a cup of stock than have a thick goopy risotto because I didn’t plan on enough liquid.
Once you taste it and the rice is no longer hard, generously cover with freshly grated Parmesan and juicy shrimp.
WHAT KIND OF RICE IS USED FOR RISOTTO?
Traditionally the best rice to use is Arborio rice which is Italian rice variety. It has more starch than regular rice and as it cooks slowly it releases the starch and that’s what gives risotto its creamy texture.
CAN I USE OTHER TYPES OF RICE FOR MY LEMON RISOTTO?
Yes, any rice would work in a pinch but just don’t expect the same creamy delicious results though stay away from long grain rice which has a low starch content.