The risotto with shrimp and asparagus tastes restaurant-quality—rich and creamy. You can’t go wrong with this simple, spring-forward recipe!
Just in time for spring, I have a special recipe for you: a delicious risotto with simple shrimp and asparagus.
Soft and creamy with luscious shrimp, parmesan cheese, and garlic butter tastes that will make you want more. You shouldn’t be afraid to make risotto if you’ve been putting it off.
Making risotto couldn’t be easier!
While it’s true that stirring the pot for 30–40 minutes is required to make risotto, the dish is really quite easy to master, thus the tales can be partially believed. It’s actually pretty easy to make, as long as you don’t multitask as I did while stirring this beautiful meal (I mean, why not? I mean, why not? I mean, do you really need me to tell you not to paint your nails, sort the mail, or mop the floor from peanut butter? Thanks, Cam!). I assure you, though, that it will be worthwhile if you just hang in there.
To make risotto authentic, you must stir the ingredients. The arborio rice, which has short grain, releases its starch while cooking in hot chicken stock, which is slowly mixed and incorporated into the risotto. It’s done! Just keep turning the rice over medium heat until it becomes creamy and soft—neither boiling nor scorching is necessary.
However, if your children are old enough to safely handle a hot stove or burner, I highly recommend this Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto dish. It’s easy to make, and the end result is delicious. The dish looks, feels, and tastes like something out of a restaurant, and I usually have all the ingredients on hand because I keep them in the fridge, pantry, and freezer. I’ll tell you what you need…
Things Required
If you want your risotto to have more flavor, use chicken stock instead of chicken broth. As a last resort, broth will suffice.
Creaminess and flavor are enhanced by the addition of butter to the risotto.
In this meal, I enjoy an overabundance of fresh garlic since it pairs so nicely with butter, and shallots give the dish depth of flavor.
Starchy arborio rice, whose grains resemble small rectangular beads, is the main ingredient in risotto. Lundberg Family Farms and Rice Select are two brands that I enjoy.
A large dash of dry white wine enhances the dish’s richness. White sauvignon or red pinot grigio are my favorites. Sweet wines, such as riesling or moscato, are not appropriate. Substitute a little more chicken stock for the alcohol if you prefer not to keep it on hand.
The addition of chopped asparagus to this risotto not only serves as a springtime wink, but also enhances the flavor of the shrimp. I find that stalks that aren’t as thin as pencils cook more evenly in the oven.
Jumbo shrimp, which are cooked in the piping hot risotto until they are plump and tender, add a seafood flavor to the dish. My go-to is 16/20 count jumbo shrimp, which translates to 16–20 shrimp per pound. Feel free to use any kind of shrimp you prefer or happen to have on hand. Smaller shrimp (those that aren’t giant) will cook more quickly, so be sure to add them towards the end of the risotto cooking time.
The amount of parmesan cheese added to the risotto at the very end is aggressive, much like the garlic. And oh, the savory, salty flavor that parmesan cheese brings! It brings out a mac-and-cheese flavor in the shrimp and asparagus risotto, but in a delicious way!
Making Risotto with Shrimp and Asparagus: Pro Tips
The “hardest” component of this dish, as I indicated before, is stirring the risotto constantly. Just give it a little swirl with a spatula—I like to use a figure 8 motion—and it should be OK. The starch in the rice is released into the risotto mixture as it is stirred, making it creamy and dreamy.
Arborio rice is typically found in the ordinary rice aisle or the health food section of most supermarkets. Lundberg Family Farms and Rice Select are two brands that I really like. Make sure you use high-quality rice, regardless of brand, to get the most out of your time (and energy) spent stirring!
Before adding the chicken stock to the risotto, make sure to cook it in a skillet. Bringing the rice’s temperature down by adding cold or room temperature stock will make it cook more slowly and unevenly.
Get a bottle of wine and an audiobook ready to listen to (or is it just me?). so let’s begin!
Making Risotto with Shrimp and Asparagus
To begin, bring a saucepan of chicken stock to a boil. Once boiling, remove off heat and cover to maintain stock temperature.
Next, sauté minced shallots and garlic in butter in a big pan that’s 11 to 12 inches across until the shallots are soft and the garlic is fragrant, using the skillet that’s next to it.
After adding the arborio rice, mix it to coat it with the butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.
Pour a generous amount of white wine over the rice and stir until almost absorbed. Just so you know, this will unfold really swiftly. To avoid overpowering the dish with sugar, pair it with a dry, non-sweet wine such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc instead of a sweet moscato or riesling.
After that, slowly pour in the hot chicken stock, measuring half a cup every ladle, while stirring constantly. When the liquid has almost absorbed, add another ladleful. With each addition of stock, you’ll notice the rice grains become increasingly plump and thick.
After around four ladlefuls of chicken stock have been poured, mix in the chopped asparagus. The reason I choose broad spears of asparagus over thin ones is that the former are less likely to overcook.
When you have two ladlesfuls left, add the peeled and deveined giant shrimp and keep stirring.
Everything is ready when the rice is soft and the shrimp and asparagus are cooked. Immediately after turning off the heat, toss in a mountain of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to suit.
It was so easy, wasn’t it?! Despite its sophisticated appearance and flavor, this Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto is quite simple to prepare and uses common ingredients that I always have on hand. No matter how many times you’ve made risotto before, I hope you adore this visually stunning and flavorful dish.
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