Shrimp Scampi Risotto Recipe

Shrimp Scampi Risotto Recipe

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If you have a taste for Italian-American cuisines, Shrimp scampi is probably one of your favorites. The ultimate easy, crowd-pleasing dish, shrimp scampi is a delicious and simple dinner cooked with just shrimp, garlic, white wine, and butter that everyone can enjoy. 

This shrimp scampi risotto recipe has all of the flavor and ingredients of shrimp scampi. But instead of pasta, it uses arborio rice to make a creamy risotto. Fresh basil or parsley is usually used for garnish. Instructions are relatively easy to follow. Read below for the full recipe.


How to Make: Shrimp Scampi Risotto Recipe

The Italian word “scampi” refers to little crustaceans known as langoustines. Scampi was utilized by home cooks in ancient Italy to make a dish with a similar name. However, once in America, immigrant Italians replaced it with shrimp since they were more freely accessible.

Shrimp scampi is one of those iconic Italian-American recipes that, despite or perhaps because of its simplicity, tastes fantastic. In this dish, large shrimp are tossed with a rich and luscious scampi sauce over risotto and cooked to perfection with arborio rice. The end result is a delicious risotto with a creamy texture, perfect for an easy dinner.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 35-40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Materials Needed:

  • Large or medium skillet
  • Medium saucepan
  • Medium pot
  • Stove

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Arborio rice
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup finely shallots, chopped
  • ½ cup yellow onion, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 7 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. red pepper flakes, to taste
  • 1/2 white onion, finely diced
  • Juice of a little lemon
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Basil, chopped

Directions:

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, heat 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons of butter, onion, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for two to three minutes. Add garlic and cook. Stir ingredients and cook for another minute or until onions are fully cooked.
  2. Raise the heat to medium-high heat and spoon shrimp, peeled and deveined, in a single layer on the pan. Add the 1 1/2 cup wine, lemon juice, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes. Cook for another minute or two until pink and opaque. Remove from heat and set shrimp scampi aside.
  3. In a medium pot, heat the stock over medium heat and keep it at a moderate simmer.
  4. In another large skillet over medium heat, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots. Cook, stirring frequently until the shallots are transparent. Add the remaining garlic and cook for a minute.
  5. Add rice and stir constantly for 3 to 4 minutes or until rice is slightly browned and begins to make a clicking sound like glass beads. Pour the wine into the mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until the wine has been absorbed by the rice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Pour 3/4 cup hot stock over the rice with a ladle. Stir the grains constantly with a wooden spoon at a medium pace and add another 3/4 cup stock when the grain mixture is just thick enough to leave a clear wake behind the spoon. Repeat the ladle step until the rice absorbs all the broth. The grains should be firm but not crunchy when cooked.
  7. As the rice gets closer to being fully cooked, keep an eye on it. Add small quantities of broth to prevent it from overcooking. The final result should be thick enough that rice grains are suspended in a rich cream-like liquid. When you remove it from the heat, it should thicken slightly.
  8. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste, parsley or basil for garnish, and a cut-up lemon wedge for a more colorful presentation. Serve risotto in serving bowls and sprinkle shrimp scampi on top.

Cooking Notes and Kitchen Tips

  • Make sure to toast rice properly and cook it until al dente.
  • In choosing white wine, always choose the kind that you’d like to drink.
  • The recipe needs the starch that arborio rice gives, so ensure you use this variety. If unavailable, use sushi or carnaroli rice.
  • For leftovers, store shrimp scampi risotto in an airtight container and store for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave once ready to eat.
  • You can add parmesan cheese to this risotto if you prefer a cheesy risotto. Stir in the parmesan cheese along with the butter once the rice is cooked.
  • You can adjust the amount of lemon juice you want to add to the risotto depending on your preference.
  • Serve this risotto in pasta bowls and decorate with parsley and fresh basil for a more festive presentation.
  • For each 2 cloves of garlic minced, you can use ½ tbsp garlic powder instead.

Final Word

Made with ingredients you can easily find at your local grocery store, Making risotto can be a sure-fire way to impress guests and family alike without too much fuss in the cooking process. You can easily prepare this for a special gathering.

For more rice recipes, read our blog here.