If you are hosting a dinner party this Summer, then this Prawn Risotto Recipe will be perfect! The lemony risotto is a colorful and flavorful dish filled with prawns and peas and topped oven-roasted whole prawns. It’s a delicious Italian inspired recipe that is sure to be a hit!
Affiliate Disclosure
We have included affiliate links to valuable products and services related to the topic of this post.
This post contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated if you purchase after clicking on those links.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Read Our Full Disclosure and Privacy Policy
Prawn Risotto Recipe
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions and to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required as well as understand the steps and timings involved.
The lemony risotto is a colorful and flavorful dish that is full of prawns, rice, white wine, lemons and peas is really a great Summertime dinner idea!
Summer dining is all about eating light and tasty food that can be enjoyed outside while watching the sunset.
If Italian food is on your mind but you don’t want a heavy pasta dish, this prawn risotto is just the ticket!
Risotto is a northern Italian rice dish cooked with broth until it reaches a creamy consistency. The broth can be derived from meat, fish, or vegetables. Many types of risotto contain butter, onion, white wine, and parmesan cheese. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy. Saffron was originally used for flavour and its signature yellow colour.
Wikipedia
Risotto, unlike other rice dishes, requires a lot of care and attention when making it. A ladleful of a stock is added to the pan with rice and stirred until absorbed before adding more stock.
You have to use short-grain rice (such as Arborio) which has the ability to absorb more liquid, release more starch, and be more sticky than long-grain rice. This type of rice also helps provide risotto with its creamy consistency.
This might sound like a bit of a pain to make as you have to be at the stovetop and constantly stirring. But trust me, the end result is so worth it.
Ingredients Used In This Recipe
What is the Difference Between Shrimp and Prawns?
If you’re from the UK, you probably call shrimp, prawns; and if you’re from the US, you call them shrimp. I thought that was the difference – a UK v USA thing – but they’re actually different animals.
I think most people would use them interchangeably and not realise there was a difference – and to be honest, to save confusion, I will continue to do so, but I found it fascinating to learn that they were not one and the same!
Shrimp and prawns can both be found in salt and freshwater. However, shrimp are found mostly in saltwater, and prawns are mostly found in freshwater – especially the ones we cook and eat.
Shrimp are usually smaller than prawns but is not always an indicator of which is which. And they both taste the same – so essentially… it doesn’t matter!
Whether you call these sweet, succulent, seafood morsels shrimp or prawns – it doesn’t matter – cook ’em up and use them in this risotto! I’ll be referring to them as prawns in this recipe to save any confusion!
You may already have some of the ingredients used in this recipe such as onions, garlic, peas, and lemon – the full list of ingredients and measurements are in the recipe cards.
For your convenience, I’ve linked any specialized ingredients needed for this recipe to Amazon below.
- Large Prawns – if you are in the USA substitute large wild-caught shrimp if prawns are not available
- Fish or Chicken Stock – you can use your own homemade stock/broth, or make with bouillon or stock cubes, or buy in cartons or pouches.
- Arborio Rice
- Dry White Wine
- Parmesan cheese – an optional ingredient
This recipe uses American cups. They’re a handy piece of kitchen equipment to have along with a kitchen food scale. Having both in your kitchen means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog as I use both cups and weighted measures.
More Recipes Using Prawns (or Shrimp!)
Since the main ingredient in this recipe is prawns/shrimp here are some more recipes using the same:
- Shrimp Slaw Sandwich with Garlic Lemon Aioli
- Five-Spice Salted Prawns
- Spicy Creole Prawns
Prawn Risotto Recipe Tips
- Cheese and seafood are not traditionally combined in authentic Italian recipes. Therefore, the grated Parmesan cheese used in this recipe is listed as optional.
- Substitute large wild-caught shrimp if prawns are not available.
- Do not rinse the Arborio rice before cooking. The extra starch is needed to create the signature creamy texture of this dish.
- To incorporate even more flavor into each bite, roughly chop half the prawns and stir into the risotto in step 9. Then, divide the remaining whole prawns to top off each serving.
- Garnish with additional fresh parsley and grated cheese, if desired.
More Italian Recipes
Want to cook more Italian-inspired dishes? Check out these recipes next:
- Italian Meatball Soup Recipe
- One-Pan Chicken Cacciatore – Italian Hunter’s Stew
- Italian Style Lamb Shanks in the Slow Cooker
How Do I Make Prawn Risotto?
Just check out the recipe card below with full ingredients, instructions, and demonstration photos. You can print the card out too (don’t worry, the pics don’t print to save your ink!).
Lemony Prawn & Pea Risotto
Yield: 4-6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
A delicious lemony risotto filled with chopped prawns and peas and topped with oven-roasted whole prawns.
Ingredients
- 5 cups fish or chicken stock, divided
- 1 lbs / 450g large prawns (or shrimp), peeled, deveined, and tails-on
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 large stalk celery, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1½ cup Arborio rice
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 Tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 tsp fresh lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional)
- 2 large organic lemons, quartered
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat® baking mat. Set aside.
- Add the fish or chicken stock to a large saucepan and bring it to a light simmer over medium heat.
- Add the prawns to a large bowl and drizzle with two tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and toss to combine. Spread shrimp into an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Set aside.
- In a separate large skillet (or deep frying pan), heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes soft and translucent, approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Add the Arborio rice to the skillet and lightly toast, stirring continually, for approximately 1-2 minutes. Pour in the wine and stir continually until the wine is almost fully absorbed, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Add one-half cup of the warm stock the skillet and stir constantly until it is absorbed into the rice, approximately 2-3 minutes. Repeat with the remaining stock, stirring continually until the excess liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked through, approximately 25-30 minutes total.
- Add the peas to the risotto in the last 5 minutes of cooking and stir to combine. Season with additional salt and black pepper, if desired.
- Once the peas are added to the risotto, place the prepared prawns into the pre-heated oven and roast for 5-6 minutes, or until they are opaque. Do not overcook. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- When the peas are heated through, stir the fresh parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, and grated cheese (if using) into the risotto until thoroughly combined. To incorporate even more flavor into each bite, roughly chop half the prawns and stir into the risotto. Then, divide the remaining whole prawns to top off each serving. Serve immediately topped with the roasted prawns and fresh lemon wedges on the side. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 834Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 408mgSodium: 1536mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 108g
This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Meal!
You’ve made the main course, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal!
- Appetizer: Feta Cucumber Cups Appetizer for Summer Parties
- Beverage: Blackberry Vodka co*cktail
- Dessert: Strawberry Cupcakes for Summer
There are500+ Recipeson The Purple Pumpkin Blogfor you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too!
