How to Make the Perfect Shrimp Risotto with Homemade Shrimp Stock
Traditional Risotto requires good stock, but you can make stock from the heads and shells of whole shrimp and serve this wonderful Shrimp Risotto for $10 for four servings.
Why Use Whole (Head-On) Shrimp?
This recipe calls for whole shrimp, which are frozen shrimp with the heads on. They will be frozen unless you are lucky enough to live somewhere near the water where shrimp fishermen sell their catch. Because the head causes shrimp to deteriorate quickly if not frozen, producers and fishermen remove the head very soon after the catch. The exception is shrimp that are quick-frozen immediately after harvest. Walmart sells a very good option of 2 pounds of whole shrimp for around $10. Wild Fork Foods, which has outlets in many major US cities and ships nationwide in the US, sells whole shrimp for $5.50 per pound. Check your local supermarkets and stores wherever you live. These shrimp are typically farmed but still typically a quality product. Inspect them, but you will likely find large shrimp with buttery contents in the head. They are a little less tasty than their wild counterparts but are often carefully harvested and frozen. Don't be afraid--buy at least a pound of frozen whole shrimp and get ready to clean them!
Saving on Ingredients for Shrimp Risotto
Risotto ingredients can be expensive, but not if you shop carefully. I find that the
The same risotto sold at Whole Foods and other upscale US supermarkets is now sold at Walmart for around $7. For around $1.40, I can make at least five batches of good risotto.
For cheese, I buy a large block of Parmigiano Reggiano Sam's Club for around $11/pound. A pound of parmesan yields a little over 4 cups of cheese, so 1/2 cup of cheese costs around $1.40. You could use cheaper cheese, but this good cheese costs only a little over a dollar in this recipe. As long as 1-2 pounds of cheese is in our budget and you will use that amount in 3 months or so, buy the good cheese in bulk. My cooking life changed when I started buying better Italian cheeses and pasta. Some things are worth a little bit more.
In terms of an onion, use a common yellow or white onion. You could use a shallot or two if you have them. Don't go out of your way to buy shallots, as plain onions are just wonderful in this dish. Try to use fresh parsley if you possibly can. Yes, you can add peas if you want--this is your risotto. Add them frozen at the very end instead of the parsley.
Cleaning the Shrimp
First, defrost your shrimp, but do this right before you cook them. They will not hold well in the refrigerator. Thaw them in the refrigerator if you can. Once they are nearly thawed, rinse them with cool water in the sink.
One at a time, clip off the "whiskers" (antennae) from the shrimp and throw them away. (This step is unnecessary, but those bits freak me out.) Hold the shrimp so its belly is facing up, and bend back its head. You will see where the shrimp body attaches to the head. Cut off the head, erring on the side of leaving a little bit of the body meat on the head. In this way, you will not spill any of the brains (they are too good to waste on a cutting board). After removing the head, put the head in a stock pot. Pull off the shell and tail from the body and put the shells in the stock pot. Now, devein the shrimp by slicing 1/8 of an inch along the top of the shrimp (see photo below) and pull out the vein with a toothpick or your fingers. Cut the shrimp in thirds and put the shrimp into a colander for rinsing. Retain 2-4 shrimp whole for decoration.
Once you have rinsed your shrimp, set them aside. Take a look at the heads and shells in the stock pot. its time to actually make stock from these shrimp for your risotto.
Making Shrimp Stock
First, toss the heads and shrimp with a tablespoon or two of good olive oil. Now, heat them gently on medium heat and stir them as they turn orange. When all the shrimp heads are orange and soft, press down on them with a cooking mallet or the back of a spoon. This will release the head's contents into the stock and make it more delicious.
At this point, you can add other shellfish leavings to the stock pot. I had a bag of crab shells from a holiday dinner earlier last month. (Never, never, never throw away your shells, whether crab, shrimp, or other shellfish. They often make excellent stock. I only throw away oysters or larger types of shells--the rest goes into a bag in the freezer for seafood stock.) If you don't have any other shells for the stock, don't sweat it, as the shells from a pound of shrimp will make stock for this recipe.
While your shrimp is browning, roughly chop a carrot, an onion, and a stalk of celery. No fancy peeling or cutting here—they are going into the stock pot. Put the vegetables in with the shrimp heads and sauté lightly. If you like garlic flavor, you can add a clove of pressed or minced garlic.
If you have them, add your extra shells and cover the whole thing with water. You will notice that the shrimp brains (excuse my descriptions) are orange. they will make the stock a lovely color without saffron. (Saffron is often added to risotto to give flavor and color, but it is expensive. Saffron really isn't necessary when the shrimp add the same wonderful color.)
Turn the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 30-40 minutes. Let it very gently simmer, but don't bring it to a rolling boil, which makes the stock bitter. Unlike other stocks, cooking longer does not improve flavor. Skim off foam and impurities. Put the contents through a large sieve and press down on the shells to get the flavorful juices out. Skim off any foam or impurities again. Congrats, you have shrimp stock!! Anything you don't use for this recipe, you can freeze for later use within 3-6 months. If you run short, use water or clam juice for this recipe.
Keep the stock in the risotto recipe (about 4 cups) hot next to your sauté pan. Put a ladle or scoop in the stock pan. Again, if you don't have 4 cups of stock, heat water or clam juice or add it to the pan to increase the amount in the pot.
Making the Shrimp Risotto
Put a large skillet, hopefully with straight sides and a diameter of 10-12 inches on medium heat and add olive oil. Sauté the chopped onion gently--don't brown it. Turn the heat to medium-low if necessary. When the onion is translucent, add the rice. Do not rinse the rice--add it dry. Now stir the rice until its coated with olive oil an cook for a minute or two, until the rice begin to look glass-like on the edges. It's time to add the wine. No, not the whole bottle, just 1/2 c. or so of dry white wine. I'm using a bottle of Aldi Sauvignon Blanc. It's a good cooking wine and nice enough to have a sip while you cook. Let the alcohol in the wine evaporate, leaving a nice golden mixture with very little moisture or sauce. It's time to begin adding your stock.
Add a ladle of stock, from 1/3 -1/2 cup at a time. After each addition, stir until the stock is mostly incorporated, and add another ladle. Keep doing this until you have added around 4 cups of stock and the rice is almost tender.
At this point, add you clean shrimp to the mix and a ladle of stock and keep stirring. Your risotto should appear creamy. The shrimp stock may give it a warm color and that's okay. Now add the freshly squeezed lemon juice. and stir. Take off the heat on the pan.
Add the butter and parmesan to the pan and stir. Many people don't like cheese with seafood, and by lots of people, I mean those who love traditional Italian cooking. I love parmesan in this dish, but you can skip it and add a little cream if you can't stand the idea of adding cheese. The dish should remain "loose" with ample sauce. It will firm up as you serve it, so don't let it go dry to the plate.
Sauté the remaining whole shrimp quickly (or simply cook them in a little of the stock) and add to the plate. Serve immediately as a main course or a smaller portion as an appetizer.
Comments