This page may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. Here is a recipe for Easy and Decadent Lobster Risotto!
Jump to:
Ah risotto.... This creamy and delicious rice dish from Italy is truly comforting and always welcome. To make it requires a bit of patience and a small investment of time, but the results are definitely worth waiting for.
1,000 Foods To Eat Project
I am working my way through the foods that are listed in the book 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die by Mimi Sheraton. This is called my 1,000 Foods to Eat Project.
In this book, the author Mimi Sheraton lists her choices for the 1,000 Foods of the World that you MUST try.
Risotto is listed as one of these 1,000 foods. This should come as no surprise to those that are familiar with risotto! This delicious rice dish is food #42 in my project!
A Little Bit About Arborio Rice
Several different varieties of rice can be used to make risotto. However, Arborio rice is most commonly used and the best rice to use for this dish.
What's so special about Arborio rice? It is named after the town of Arborio in the Po Valley, located in Northern Italy. It is a short grain rice which is able to swell and absorb liquids when cooked.
Cooking this rice when making risotto requires adding a little bit of broth or stock at a time, and almost constant stirring. You are finished cooking the rice when it doesn't absorb any more liquid. At that point it should be slightly al dente (to the tooth) and creamy.
Furthermore, I learned that Italians have a term called "all'onda" when making risotto. This means "on the wave," "wavy," or "flowing in waves." So you are aiming for a flowing, creamy and fluid risotto.
This Wikipedia article on Risotto is so interesting. It includes a section on Italian regional varieties of risotto and I want to try them all!
Ingredients You Need For Easy Lobster Risotto
There are many varieties of risotto, even in addition to the Italian regional varieties. I wanted to try my hand at a very decadent dish, so decided upon Lobster Risotto.
This Lobster Risotto is great for anytime you desire a rich and luscious dish, and I would say it's perfect for a special occasion dinner like Valentines Day as well! ❤️
The first time I made this, I decided to use this pre-cooked lobster meat by SeaMazz that I found at my local grocery store. Using this helped make this dish come together a bit easier.
The second time I bought wild caught fresh lobster tails and cooked them myself.
In addition to the main components of the risotto (Arborio rice, lobster, and broth) you will also need the following ingredients:
- Fish or chicken broth (I used low sodium chicken broth). You could also use seafood stock
- Celery
- Carrot
- Shallot
- Garlic
- Butter (can sub olive oil)
- White wine (Sauvignon Blanc is recommended)
- Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan cheese)
- Italian parsley (optional garnish)
That's it! 😀
The Method To Make This Easy Lobster Risotto Recipe
So creating this masterpiece in your kitchen is EASY, but as I mentioned at the beginning does require some patience because you will need to spend probably around 30 minutes stirring rice. BUT you WILL BE REWARDED.
The Lobster
If you decide to cook your own lobster, then go ahead prepare the lobster. Steam 4 lobster tails over boiling water for around 7-9 minutes, or until the meat is 160F. The shells will be a beautiful and brilliant red!
Here is a YouTube Video demonstrating how to remove tail meat from lobster tails using kitchen shears.
The Risotto
Now we will start making the creamy risotto. I like to include carrots and a bit of celery for extra color. Melt butter, then soften the carrots and celery in a large skillet on medium-high heat.
You'll set the softened carrots and celery aside, and will then saute minced garlic and shallots for a couple of minutes on a medium heat. Next add the rice and stir in butter until all of the grains are coated with butter.
At that point, add some white wine to deglaze and at this time stir and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Then begin adding broth a little at a time (around one half cup of stock or broth) stirring all the while. Once the broth you have added has been absorbed, then add some more until that has been absorbed, and so forth and so on. Add a pinch of salt here and there during this process.
Don't forget to keep stirring. 😀
When the rice cannot absorb any more broth and you have achieved that slightly al dente and creamy texture you are just about finished cooking the rice. However for best results, keep going for that all'onda texture (a bit flowy and wavy) if you want to achieve risotto perfection.
The next to last steps are to add the carrots and celery back in, along with some lovely freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Then season with salt and pepper to taste.
The last step is to add the luscious chunks of buttery lobster! You can either stir it in, or just set large chunks of it on top of the risotto for an impressive presentation. Bear in mind that the lobster meat is already cooked, so you only want to gently heat it through.
The Finished Dish, Ready For Your Enjoyment!
The finished creamy Lobster Risotto is definitely worth waiting for! Here I garnished with some Italian parsley, and additional grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
We had some very happy tummies when we dined on this decadent and romantic meal! This is the perfect risotto for a date night!
Are you ready to give this a go? I hope you will add this to your repertoire of risotto recipes! Enjoy the incredible Italian rice dish called risotto, one of the 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die!
Some Other Dishes You May Enjoy!
On the other end of the spectrum, here is a recipe for Pantry Mushroom Risotto. Very delicious and budget friendly, using items straight from your pantry!
Simple and Delicious Cacio e Pepe
If you'd like to come along on this food journey with me, please sign up to get the latest recipes and inspiration for you to expand your food comfort zone! It's an incredible journey, please join me by signing up here. 🙂
Cheers!
Grace
Easy and Decadent Lobster Risotto
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 8 oz lobster cooked (roughly meat from 4 small lobster tails)
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 4 cups chicken broth (low salt) can also sub fish broth or seafood stock; may require a bit more or less than 4 cups
- 1 stalk celery diced
- 1 carrot cut into small pieces
- 1 shallot minced
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon butter split (plus additional to add at the end if desired); can sub olive oil
- ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano freshly grated (plus additional for garnish)
- ½ cup white wine recommend using Sauvignon Blanc
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- Italian parsley optional garnish
Instructions
- Heat up a large skillet to medium-high and add 1 tablespoon butter (or olive oil). When the butter starts to melt, add the cut up carrots. Cook stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Add the celery to the carrots, and cook for another 5 minutes (or until tender), stirring frequently. Remove both celery and carrots from the skillet and set aside.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the additional tablespoon of butter (or olive oil). Once the butter has melted then add the garlic and shallot. Cook for around 2 minutes stirring constantly, and then add the Arborio rice. Stir for around a minute, and ensure that the grains of rice are coated with the butter. Then add the white wine to deglaze (stir and scrape up any brown bits from the pan at this time). Cook until the wine has mostly been cooked off or absorbed.
- Right after, start adding the chicken or fish broth about ½ cup at a time. Continuously stir until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Once it has, add more broth or stock (½ cup at a time) and continue this process until the rice is unable to absorb any more liquid. During this process, add a pinch of salt from time to time. It took around 4 cups of broth for me, but you may need a little more or a little less.
- Turn down the heat to low. Add the cooked carrot and celery back in along with the Parmesan cheese (freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano is preferred), and stir to incorporate. Then add salt and pepper to taste. The rice should be creamy, al dente (a little bite to it), AND all'onda (a bit flowy) if you want risotto perfection. 😊
- Last but not least, add the cooked lobster meat. You can either stir it in, or just set it on top of the risotto for an impressive presentation. Bear in mind that the lobster meat is already cooked, so you only want to gently heat it through. Garnish with Italian parsley and additional freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano if desired for the perfect finishing touch! An extra dab of butter wouldn't go amiss!
Leave a Reply