Ingredients
Instructions
- In saucepan of boiling water, cook sea kelp (if using) for 2 minutes; strain and set aside.
- Discard any clams with cracked shells or that do not close when tapped. Heat oil in saucepan set over medium heat; cook half of the garlic and red pepper flakes for 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in 1 cup water and bay leaves; bring to boil. Add clams; reduce heat to medium. Cover and steam for 5 to 7 minutes or until clams open. Discard any clams that do not open. Using slotted spoon, transfer clams to bowl and set aside.
- Pour broth into saucepan with steaming liquid; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low to maintain heat.
- Pat scallops dry with paper towel; and season with pinch of salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp butter in large high-sided skillet set over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Cook scallops for about 2 minutes or until golden brown crust forms. Turn and cook for about 1 minute or until golden brown on both sides (do not overcook). Transfer to plate.
- Reduce heat to medium. Melt remaining butter in skillet; cook shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until starting to curl. Transfer to plate. Stir in onions, fennel, thyme and remaining garlic; cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in rice, and remaining salt and pepper; cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until rice is well coated. Pour in wine; cook, stirring constantly, until most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Add broth, 1 cup at a time, stirring until all of the liquid is absorbed before adding the next addition, until rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in calamari; cook for 1 minute. Stir in clams, shrimp and scallops; cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through and calamari starts to curl (do not overcook calamari).
- Stir in parsley, half of the lemon zest, and lemon juice. (If risotto is dry, stir in enough broth or water for desired consistency.) Garnish with remaining lemon zest and reserved sea kelp.
Authentic Seafood Risotto
There is something special about the comforting taste of a Classic Italian Risotto. The beloved rich and creamy rice dish is accented with white wine, Parmesan cheese and a wide assortment of other ingredients from mushrooms and Spring Greens Risotto with pesto to seafood and Curry Risotto with Baked Salmon.
This risotto recipe has everything you love about the traditional version with added seafood like calamari, clams, scallops and shrimp with sea kelp and more. And, using classic medium grain rice, like RiceSelect® Arborio Rice, which is specially crafted for making risotto, you achieve that perfectly creamy texture naturally.
How to Cook Risotto Properly
While our recipe details how this risotto recipe should be made, we’d like to highlight a few tips for you to master this and any other risotto dish you choose to make in the future. Once you have reached the desired consistency, experiment with any and all of your favorite ingredients so you can serve up a bit of spontaneous brilliance in all of your dishes.
- Use arborio rice and no other for the absolute best results when making a risotto. This is because of the starch content in medium rice grains. When stirred with heat and liquid, the starch is released and the grains begin to bump into each other leading to a naturally creamy texture.
- Use warm seafood broth. Using warm broth will maintain the temperature of your dish rather than cooling it down for optimal results.
- Stir often, but not constantly. You’ll need to let your risotto sit in between the time you stir it.
Other Meal Inspiration
If you are still craving more meals with a Mediterranean taste, why not check out one of our Orzo Recipes? Or alternatively, for something Israeli, learn how to cook Pearl Couscous.
