Last Updated on April 21, 2025
Creamy seafood risotto is a delicious meal for a special occasion or whenever you want to treat yourself to tasty food. Made with shrimp and scallops with creamy mascarpone cheese added for extra richness and flavor.
If you are into seafood, this Creamy Seafood Risotto has to be on your list of recipes to try. It has sophisticated sea-worthy flavors accented with white wine and a finishing squeeze of fresh lemon.
This risotto recipe is quite adaptable too. You can use any combination of seafood you wish. Besides shrimp and scallops, you could try crabmeat, calamari, mussels, clams, or lobster. Whatever suits your taste.
The secret to making a deliciously creamy seafood risotto is using a flavorful seafood stock. The rice absorbs all of the flavors of the stock so it needs to be bold to make the dish stand out to complement the seafood you are using.
Ingredients Used to Make the Seafood Risotto
Arborio rice – This rice is short-grained and contains a good amount of starch for creaminess.
Clam juice and Lobster bisque – This combination makes a stock that is flavorful and rich. *See recipe notes
Shrimp and Scallops – This is the combination of seafood chosen for this recipe. Feel free to use whatever you would like.
Onion and shallot – These aromatics are used for taste.
White wine – Dry white wine is added for extra flavor.
Mascarpone cheese – This cheese adds to the creaminess of the rice.
Fresh parsley and lemon juice to garnish and flavor the finished risotto.
Simple Steps to Make the Creamy Seafood Risotto
Start by mixing the clam juice, lobster bisque, and water in a saucepan and heating this to a simmer then keep warm. (A total of 5 1/2 cups of broth).
Then, heat the olive oil in a large, high-sided saucepan, Dutch oven, or saucier, and add the minced onion. Cook while occasionally stirring to soften the onion which will take 4 to 5 minutes.
Next, add the rice to the pan and stir well to coat the rice grains with the oil. Cook for an additional minute.
Add the white wine and stir until the wine is absorbed. This takes about 2 minutes.
Add about 1 cup of the seafood stock and stir until it is nearly absorbed. Keep adding the stock about 1/2 cup at a time until nearly absorbed, (or a good-sized ladle worth).
The risotto is done when the rice is al dente to the bite and has a creamy texture. Start testing the rice after about 20 minutes of cooking time. It should be done after 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add salt and pepper as desired. Then, stir in the mascarpone cheese to the finished risotto.
To cook the seafood, melt the butter on medium heat in a separate large skillet and add the minced shallot. Cook for 2 minutes to soften. Add the raw shrimp and bay scallops and cook until the shrimp and scallops are opaque. This should take 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm. *See the recipe notes
Add the shrimp and scallops to the risotto and combine. Or, plate the risotto and top with the seafood. Either way, finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon to brighten the flavor.
Substitutions and Additions
Here are a few ways to alter the recipe:
- Use precooked seafood. Just heat until warm in the skillet with the shallot.
- Add 1 ounce of grated Parmesan cheese rather than Mascarpone.
- A pinch of saffron, crushed and stirred into the white wine will add a traditional yellow tint to the rice.
- Use any combination of seafood you would like for this dish.
Equipment Tip
A “saucier pan” is the best pan for making risotto. It has a rounded bottom to make stirring easy without leaving grains of rice stuck in a corner. I have had mine for years and it was purchased at a store like TJMaxx or Homegoods. It is copper-coated stainless steel made by Caphalon. It was a lucky find!
(Below is an affiliate link. If you click on it and make a purchase, Joe’s Healthy Meals may make a small commission).
Here is a link to a Japanese rounded-bottom stainless steel saucepan for under $30.00 that looks like it would be perfect for making risotto.
Serve the risotto with a good crusty bread with a salad on the side. Or, with fresh steamed vegetables like the broccoli I prepared with this.
Here are some more tasty Seafood recipes to try:
Creamy Seafood Risotto Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
- 3 cups clam juice, bottled
- 10.5 oz. Bar Harbor lobster bisque, *see notes
- 9.5 oz. water
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 Medium-sized onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 lbs. shrimp, medium to large size, peeled, deveined, tail off, cut into 2 or 3 bite-sized pieces
- 1 lbs. bay scallops
- 1 1/2 tbsp. butter
- 1 shallot, medium-sized, minced
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
- chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish
- fresh lemon juice for topping
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Place the clam juice, lobster bisque, and water into a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- In a separate large skillet, (3 quart), heat the olive oil on medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Increase the heat on the stove to medium, add the rice to the pan, stir to coat, and cook for 1 minute. Then add the wine and stir until the wine is absorbed.
- Add 1 cup of heated broth to the rice and stir constantly until nearly absorbed. Then, continue to add the broth in increments of approximately 1/2 cup at a time while stirring until nearly absorbed. Start tasting the rice after about 20 minutes of cooking time. The rice is done when it is al dente, thick, and creamy. Add salt and pepper to your liking.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the mascarpone cheese and the cooked seafood. Garnish the risotto with chopped parsley and drizzle with fresh lemon juice. As an alternative, serve the seafood on top of the plated risotto.
- *See the recipe notes below. While the rice is cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet on medium heat, adding the minced shallot, and cook for 2 minutes. Then, toss in the shrimp and scallops and cook until they are opaque and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.
Notes
- If you are unable to find lobster bisque, a good substitute would be Better than Bouillon, lobster base. Mix 1 tablespoon with 2 1/2 cups of water.
- * You may find it easiest to cook the shallot and seafood before starting the rice unless you have a helper to tend to this. Cook the seafood and cover it to keep warm.
- Substitute 1/4 to 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese for the mascarpone cheese.
sandra axelrod
Fabulous seafood risotto!!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Thanks for an awesome recipe Joe. Hope you and MJ are doing well and enjoying this steamy summer.