Pesto Risotto with Shrimp
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: 20 min
- Cook time: 47 min
- Serving: 4
- Cost: Average
Listen to the recipe
PRESENTATION
Pesto risotto with shrimp—oh boy, it's a real treat! This dish just brings summer on the Ligurian coast right to your plate. You've got that classic creamy risotto, made northern Italian style. And look, it's all about getting that perfect balance, right? Rich, moist rice that still has a bit of bite. Honestly, the real star here is the homemade basil pesto—super fresh and bright green.
Plus, instead of fully cooking the shrimp, this recipe uses marinated red prawns—briefly soaked in lime, served raw on top of the hot rice. This keeps the prawns so so tender and adds a sweet, cool contrast to the warm seafood risotto below. Really, this mix of temperatures and textures in every bite is something special.
And listen, in Liguria, they might swap in other local seafood or sprinkle a bit of lemon zest for that extra freshness. But let's be real, the Ligurian touch—homemade pesto and lightly marinated shrimp—is way way hard to beat.
On a warm evening, pesto risotto looks all elegant but stays pretty simple for anyone to enjoy. Perfect for a special dinner with friends or just a relaxed weekend meal. The shrimp risotto really stands out with basil, garlic, and pine nuts in the pesto. The lime? Just adds brightness without overpowering.
Here's the deal: this easy risotto recipe feels fancy, but it’s all about those quality ingredients. With a touch of parmesan cheese and top-notch olive oil, you get a creamy finish that's hard to resist. For sure. Pair it with a chilled glass of white wine, and you’ve got a meal as light as it is vivid. Honestly, it echoes summer in northern Italy. The perfect dish for anyone who loves the art of simple yet fancy Italian cooking. And can't go wrong with that!
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INGREDIENTS
- Carnaroli rice 1.7 cups (320 g) - About 1 2/3 cups uncooked
- White wine 2.5 oz (70 g)
- Fine salt to taste
- Water 4 ¼ cups (1 l)
- Red onions 1
- Carrots 1
- Celery 1 rib
- Basil to taste
- For the basil pesto
- Basil 2.8 oz (80 g)
- Pine nuts 0.75 oz (20 g)
- Grana Padano PDO cheese 2.1 oz (60 g)
- Extra virgin olive oil 0.8 cup (180 g)
- Fine salt to taste
- For the marinated shrimp
- Shrimps 7 oz (200 g) - red, blast-frozen
- Lime peel to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp (15 g)
- Fine salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
How to prepare Pesto Risotto with Shrimp
To prepare the pesto risotto with shrimp, start by cleaning the crustaceans. Remove the head and shell, then remove the vein along the back 1. Set the scraps aside. Roughly chop the carrot 2 and the celery stalk 3.
Trim and cut the onion into large pieces as well 4. In a pot place the shrimp scraps from cleaning 5 and the vegetables 6.
Pour in the water 7, bring everything to a boil, then lower the heat and let simmer for about 30 minutes 8. In the meantime, season the shrimp with salt and pepper 9.
A drizzle of oil 10 and the lime zest 11, mix gently 12 and set aside in the refrigerator.
Now prepare the pesto: in a jug put the basil leaves 13, the pine nuts 14 and the grated cheese 15.
Pour in the oil 16 and add salt. Blend with an immersion blender 17 until you obtain a creamy sauce 18.
Meanwhile the seafood stock will be ready; strain it through a sieve 19 and keep it warm. In a saucepan toast the rice dry for a couple of minutes 20, then deglaze with the white wine 21 and let it evaporate.
Add the warm shrimp stock, a ladle at a time 22, stirring often and cook for about 15–18 minutes, until the rice is al dente. Turn off the heat, add the basil pesto 23 and gently finish to make it creamy, then let the risotto rest for a couple of minutes 24.
To finish, divide the rice among the plates 25 and top with the marinated red shrimp 26 and a few fresh basil leaves. The pesto risotto with shrimp is ready to enjoy 27.