Shrimp Scampi Risotto (Creole Style) with Lemon and Parsley

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4

There is a shop here on Andrews Street, tucked behind an antique store and completely packed with paintings. Stacked in piles along the floor, across tables, and covering the walls all the way to the ceiling, there are Florida highwaymen paintings, oil portraits, Cuban street scenes, and seascapes dated as far back as 1894 — painted with layers of oils and housed in gilded frames. The owner, Raphael is from Cuba, the third in a line of eleven children and he once gave me his self-published cookbook. It’s dedicated to the memory of his mother and his Shrimp Creole is marked with a star to indicate it’s one of his favorites. We’ve made his recipe a few times and a lot of the aspects of the creole seasoning used here for the shrimp are inspired by it. The rest of this recipe is heavily carried by the ingredients in a classic seafood risotto.

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• ¾ pound peeled, uncooked shrimp, (about 16-20)

• Old Bay hot sauce

• fine sea salt

• freshly cracked black pepper

• 9 tablespoons butter, (divided into separate bowls of 5 and 4)

• 9 cloves garlic, minced (divided into separate bowls of 3 and 6)

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 1 cup dry white wine

• juice of one lemon

• 4 tablespoons parsley, chopped, divided

• 2 tablespoons sherry

• 4 cups chicken stock

• 2 shallots, chopped

• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 teaspoon celery salt

• 1 ½ cups Arborio rice

• zest of one lemon

• ½ cup Parmesan cheese (shredded)

• 2 tablespoons chives, chopped, for serving

Preparation

1. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil on high heat in a large skillet. Season the shrimp with the salt and pepper and Old Bay Hot sauce.

2. Sear the shrimp to golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes each side. Transfer shrimp to a bowl.

3. Turn the heat to medium-low. Using the same skillet, add 2 tablespoons of butter, 6 garlic cloves, minced, and 1 bay leaf. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

4. Add the tomato paste, another couple dashes of hot sauce, white wine, and juice of one lemon to deglaze the pan. Allow the sauce to reduce by half. This will take about 10 minutes.

5. Whisk in 3 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons parsley, sherry, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and remove from heat, leaving the sauce in the skillet.
   

Making the Risotto

1. Heat the chicken stock in a medium saucepan over low heat and keep hot, you will use this for the rice.

2. In a large pot over medium-low heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the divided butter.

3. Once the butter has melted, add the shallots, red pepper flakes, 1 bay leaf, celery salt, and the remaining 3 minced garlic cloves. Saute on medium-low heat until the shallots are translucent, about 2 minutes. 

4. Add the Arborio rice and toss to coat in the oils. Saute until the rice is very lightly browned.

5. Add a ladle full of the hot stock to the rice and stir until absorbed. Repeat, adding a ladle or two of stock at a time, until the rice is al dente and you have used most of (or all of) the stock. This will take about 20 minutes and the rice should be creamy. 

6. Turn off the heat and top with another ladleful of stock, the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, lemon zest, and Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine and cover with a lid.

7. Reheat the shrimp sauce until simmering. Toss the shrimp into the sauce to warm. 

8. Ladle the risotto into bowls and top with shrimp and sauce. Top with more Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley and chives.

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