Creamy Prawn Risotto

a bowl of finished risotto topped with prawns and lemon.

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This creamy prawn risotto is the ultimate comfort food! Short grain arborio rice is cooked in an easy homemade prawn stock until tender, then loaded with butter and parmesan for a creamy, silky texture. It’s easy to make and perfect for entertaining or a delicious, restaurant-quality dinner at home.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Calories: 736kcal

Author: Andrea Geddes

Ingredients

For the prawn stock

600 grams whole green King prawns (shells and heads on)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2-3 bay leaves
6 cups fish stock or chicken stock

For the risotto

100 grams unsalted butter divided into 2 x 50 gram portions
1 large brown onion diced
4-5 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
black pepper
1 ½ cups Arborio rice risotto rice
½ cup white wine dry white cooking wine like Sauvingnon Blanc, Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio
½ cup parmesan cheese or pecorino Romano, freshly grated
juice of ½ lemon or more, to taste
salt to season, if needed.

To serve

fresh parsley
lemon wedges

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

For the prawn stock

Prepare the prawn stock by peeling the prawns and removing the heads. Set aside the prawn meat for later.
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil, prawn heads and shells. Cook until the prawn heads turn a deep red colour and become aromatic (around 5 minutes).
Add the tomato paste, bay leaves and prawn stock and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes to create the stock. Use a sieve to strain the stock into a pot or large bowl and set aside. Discard the prawn heads/shells, bay leaves and any other chunky ingredients.

For the risotto

Melt half of the butter (50 grams) in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Add the onion, garlic and pepper and cook until soft and fragrant (2-3 minutes).
Add the rice and continue to cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until the rice has become translucent.
Add the wine and stir until the wine has been absorbed into the rice.
Reserve ½ cup of the prawn stock and set aside for later.
Add ½ cup of the remaining prawn stock and stir until it has absorbed into the rice. Add more stock, ½ cup at a time, until the rice is al dente (around 12-15 minutes).
Chop the prawn meat into chunks (keep some prawns whole, for presentation, if desired). Add the prawn meat, lemon juice and the remaining ½ cup of prawn stock to the risotto and stir until the prawn meat is cooked through (1-2 minutes).
Turn the heat off and add the grated parmesan and remaining butter. Stir until melted and combined.
Taste the risotto and season with salt, if needed.
Serve immediately with chopped parsley and lemon wedges on the side.

Notes

Don’t rinse the Arborio rice before use! The starch in the rice gives the risotto its creamy texture. We don’t want to wash it away.
The key to a creamy risotto is constant stirring and gradual absorption. Don’t rush the process by adding all of the liquid at once. Wait for the rice to absorb the stock before adding more. This process helps to release the starch from the rice and allows the rice to absorb all of the liquid and flavours.
Avoid leaving the risotto on the stove without stirring and keep an eye on things during the cooking process, or the bottom can catch on the bottom of the pan and burn.
The heads and shells of the prawns contain so much flavour; make sure you utilise them for the stock!
Have all of your ingredients prepared and ready before starting; everything will happen quickly in the pan. The stock can be prepared ahead of time, if required.
If the risotto is too thick, stir through a splash more stock or water at a time, until it loosens.
Storage; Risotto is best eaten immediately after cooking, as it will continue to thicken as it sits. But if you have leftovers, let them cool and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. I don't recommend freezing it.
Reheating; Risotto will continue to thicken in the fridge. Add a splash of stock or water to help loosen the rice and heat on the stovetop over medium heat. Stir frequently, until the risotto is completely heated through.
Please note that the nutrition information is based on the risotto being divided into 4 serves. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional toppings or sides served with the risotto.
This recipe is made using Australian metric cups and spoon measurements. Any reference to cups or spoons in this recipe is in Australian metric. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.

Nutrition