Shrimp Risotto

If you have been intimated to make risotto at home, this shrimp risotto is easy!

When I was in Italy I bought arborio rice that had turmeric.  The color that turmeric gives this risotto is incredible and pairs really well with the shrimp.

Is it better to buy fresh or frozen shrimp?

Unless you live near a body of water that you can get fresh shrimp, always buy frozen.  My favorite grocery store Mariano’s sells peeled AND deveined shrimp for about $10 a bag.  When you go to grocery stores like Whole Foods and you see the “fresh” shrimp in the seafood counter, you may have missed the sign that says “this shrimp (fish) has been previously frozen.”  Basically they are defrosting the frozen shrimp for you as a convenience, and usually charge more money to do so.

This Argentinian red shrimp is so delicious – tastes like baby lobster to me!

Do you have to constantly stir risotto?

I’ve discovered that the answer to that is no.  I start adding 1/2 cup water (broth) to the risotto.  I do not heat up my broth either.  Once you can take a wooden spoon and make a line in the middle of your pot and no water (or broth) spills into that line, that’s when I add the next 1/2 cup of water.  I stir for probably 30 seconds each time I add more liquid.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make This

• arborio rice – this rice is short and fat and has lots of starch which is why it’s the end result is so creamy.  I have made a brown rice risotto though – you can check out that recipe here.
• liquid – I chose 2 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup of water – I didn’t have low sodium broth so that reduced the saltiness by using one cup water
• add ins – I chose diced zucchini and apples – my MIL knows how much I hate onions and added apples to her risotto the first time she served it to me and I’ve done that ever since
• Parmesan cheese – it’s a great way to finish this recipe

My shrimp were on the smaller side, so they only took about 3 minutes to cook.

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Shrimp Risotto

Yield: 2 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Risotto is so creamy because it has a higher starch content. So delicious and paired with this shrimp an easy and healthy dinner.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup arborio rice (do not rinse)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper
• 1 small apple, cored and diced
• 1 cup zucchini, diced
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 6 ounces of shrimp

Instructions

1. Add the rice to a large shallow stock pot. Add 1/2 cup liquid at a time. You know it's time to add more when you take a wooden spoon through the rice (kind of like parting the red sea!) and no liquid spills into the line. This will take about 20 minutes for all the water to absorb and cook the rice through.
2. Meanwhile, chop the apple and zucchini. Set aside. When there is about 5 minutes left on the rice, add the apple and zucchini into the rice, adding the turmeric, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Also when there is 5 minutes left, pat dry your shrimp, then spray with avocado oil spray and toss in 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes total, depending on how big your shrimp are.
4. To plate: divide the cooked risotto between two plates. Divide the shrimp between the two plates, and sprinkle 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese over the top of each plate. Enjoy!

Notes

On my WW plan, this plate is 10 points. Click this link to see what the points would be on your plan.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 329Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 189mgSodium: 1987mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 4gSugar: 12gProtein: 26g

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