Shrimp and Zucchini Risotto with Ginger
How to Make the Best Shrimp, Zucchini & Ginger Risotto at Home
Ingredients
- 250 gr Arborio rice
- 200 gr shrimp
- 100 gr zucchini
- 50 gr onion
- salt
- butter
- garlic
- ginger
For the Broth:
- celery
- onion
- carrot
- water
- Shrimp shells - the rest of shrimp
Instructions
- We start by preparing the vegetable broth. Place a piece of onion, carrot, a sprig of celery, shrimp shells (since the shrimp used in the risotto should be peeled), and a bay leaf into a saucepan. Pour in 1.5 liters of water and bring to a boil (Photo 1). Skim off any foam from the shrimp shells and let the broth simmer on low heat throughout the entire risotto cooking process.In a pan or a pot with a thick bottom, melt a tablespoon of butter, then add the same amount of olive oil. Add finely chopped onion and sauté for 5 minutes (Photo 2). The onion should not brown or fry! It should remain white and turn slightly translucent—at this point, add the chopped zucchini (Photo 3).
- Sauté the vegetables for 2-3 minutes, then add washed Arborio rice (Photo 4). Toast the rice for a minute, then pour in a couple of ladles of vegetable broth (Photo 5). Cook the rice for 10 minutes, gradually adding more broth as needed.
- Peel all the shrimp and finely chop half of them. Sauté the chopped shrimp in olive oil or butter with ginger for 3-4 minutes in a separate pan (Photo 6).After the first 10 minutes of cooking the rice, add the sautéed shrimp to the risotto (Photo 7) and stir. Continue cooking for another 8 minutes, gradually adding broth as needed (Photo 8). Salt the risotto toward the end of cooking. Once the heat is turned off, mix in finely grated Parmesan (Photo 9).
- For garnish, cook the remaining whole shrimp separately in a pan with butter, freshly grated ginger, and garlic. Lightly salt them. They cook quickly—5 minutes is enough. Plan the timing so that you start frying them 15 minutes after the rice starts cooking.Once the risotto is done, let it rest for a couple of minutes in the pan before serving. Plate the risotto and top it with the garlic-ginger shrimp.In total, 18-20 minutes of cooking time is enough for the rice.
