The Best Easy Lobster Risotto
Lobster risotto is a sweet and creamy comfort food that is fancy enough to serve on Valentines Day, Christmas or any other special night. No need to wait for a special occasion though! This creamy seafood risotto is easy enough to make any time you want to feel a bit fancy.
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There’s two things I love when it comes to food.
OK, so there’s actually a lot more, but for purposes of this post, just go with it.
Those things are:
- Carbs – pasta, risotto, bread – I don’t care, just feed them to me
- Cheese – the more the better
My lobster risotto hits both of them. It’s creamy, can be made with extra cheese, and it is a comforting carb.
And just like my Crab Risotto before it, this risotto with lobster is simple to make, doesn’t take long, and will impress your family memebers who think risotto is some sort of challenge.
What is risotto?
Risotto is a northern Italian rice dish, slowly cooked with broth and aromatics until it reaches a deliciously creamy consistency. Most risotto uses a type of Italian short grain rice called Arborio rice.
You can get away with other short grain rices, such as pearl rice, but I recommend using Arborio rice if you can find it.
Ingredients for lobster risotto
To make this lobster risotto recipe, you will need:
- Arborio rice – You should be able to find this at your local store or you can buy some here.
- White wine – You can also get away with sherry, but it will give it a stronger flavor. I ussually pick a dry white wine, but you could use most white wines or even cooking wine if you want. Using cooking wine will add a bit more salt to the recipe, so keep that in mind.
- Vegetable stock – I find vegetable stock gives a nice, subtle flavor and is not as over powering as chicken stock. You could also use water if you prefer.
- Fats – I use both olive oil and butter. If you want a richer flavor, use only butter. If you want to make this vegetarian, you can use all olive oil.
- Shallots – Shallots are delicately sweet onion. In a pinch, candy or sweet onions may work.
- Garlic cloves – Garlic adds great flavor to the risotto. You can add more or less based on your preference. I often add it until my Italian ancestors tell me, “stop, it’s enough now child.”
- Juice of half a lemon – Fresh lemon juice is lighter and fresher tasting, but you could use lemon juice from a bottle.
- Parmesan cheese – You could also use Ramano, asiago, or a blend of all three if you want. Let’s face it, more cheese makes just about anything better.
- Seasonings – Salt and pepper to taste and some fresh parsley to garnish is all you need.
- Lobster tails – You will need to take the shell off and clean off any veins or such. If you don’t like touching raw lobster, have your husband do it.
How to make lobster risotto
- Prepare the lobster.
Carefully remove the lobster meat from each tail.
It’s easiest if you cut down the center using a good pair of kitchen sheers and use your fingers to remove the meat.
Once removed, chop it into bite sized pieces.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Once it melted, add one clove of minced garlic and sauté until it is fragrant or about 1 minute.
Finally, add the lobster to the skillet and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes or until cooked through.
You can tell they are done when they turn opaque and slightly red. For more cooking options, check out my post on how to cook lobster tails.
2. Sauté the shallots
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1.5 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a medium sized pot.
When the butter is melted, add the thinly sliced shallot and the crushed garlic.
Cook them for about 3 to 4 minutes or until the shallots are slightly soft and fragrant. Make sure to stir them frequently and add the salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cook the risotto
Once the shallots are soft and fragrant, add a cup of risotto to the pot.
Stir to coat the risotto with the garlicky oil-butter mixture.
Next, add one cup of white wine.
Constantly stir the risotto as it cooks until it has absorbed the first cup of wine.
Once the first cup is absorbed, repeat the process for the second cup of wine, stirring all the while.
Now pour in the first cup of vegetable stock. Cook and stir until the liquid is absorbed and repeat with the second cup of stock.
When the last liquid is added and absorbed, the risotto should be fluffy and creamy.
4. Finish and plate
Stir in the cooked lobster pieces, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese.
Remove the pot from the stove and drizzle with remaining olive oil.
Serve hot in bowls or a plates and garnish with fresh parsley or freshly squeezed lemon juice if desired.
No one will judge you if you also add more Parmesan cheese on top. Go ahead, you know you want to.
Tricks and tips for perfect lobster risotto
Risotto gets a bad rap for being hard to make. It may have something to do with Gordon Ramsey constantly berating his contestants for their “bloody awful” risotto that no one seems to get right.
Though you really can’t set and forget the rice, it is not super hard either. This is how I make risotto perfect everytime:
- Don’t stop stirring. Once you add the risotto, don’t stop stirring it as it cooks. This helps keep it from sticking to the bottom and helps the rice fluff up nicely. A sturdy wooden spoon can help with this.
- Add the liquids slowly. When cooking risotto, make sure to add the liquid one cup at a time. Before adding the next one, make sure it is fully absorbed.
- The lobster goes in at the end. – Don’t add the lobster until the very end. Also, for God’s sake, make sure you cook it first! You don’t want raw lobster in your risotto. For tips on cooking lobster, check out my guide here.
Serving and storing lobster risotto
Risotto with lobster is best served fresh from the stove top. I like to top it with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice, parsley, and Parmesan cheese. Lots of Parmesan cheese.
On the side, I like to serve it with roasted or air fried asparagus, sauteed kale or a side salad and fresh bread.
If you need to store the risotto, do everyone a favor, don’t freeze it. It just sort of turns to mush when it thaws.
You can place it in an air tight container and store for about 2 to 3 days in the fridge.
You can either microwave to reheat or gently heat over low heat on the stove top.
If you reheat on the stove, you may need to stir in a small amount of vegetable stock or water to rehydrate the rice a bit.
Other risotto and lobster recipes to try
I love risottos and make them whenever I need a bit of comfort food or want a fancy feeling meal that is just so relaxing to make. Here are some of my favorite risotto recipes that you can make any time you want:
- Crab Risotto
- Pumpkin Risotto
- Shrimp Risotto
- Brown Butter Lobster
- Easy Lobster Scampi Linguine
- The Best Easy Lobster Alfredo
If you love lobster and want to know how to cook it like a pro, check out this guide on just about every way you can think of to cook lobster.
Did you make this LOBSTER RISOTTO or any other recipe or project on my site? Leave me a comment below and let me know how you liked. And make sure you follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram to see everything we’re making!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of risotto
- 2 cups of white wine
- 2 cups of vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1.5 tablespoons of butter
- 1 shallot
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- juice of half a lemon
- 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh parsley to garnish
- 4 6 ounce lobster tails cleaned with shells removed
Instructions
- Carefully remove the lobster meat from each tail. You can cut down the center and use our fingers to remove the meat. Chop up the meat into bite size pieces.
- In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Once it melted, add one clove of minced garlic and sauté until it is fragrant or about 1 minute.
- Add the lobster meat into the skillet and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes or until cooked through. They will turn opaque with some red when they are done. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a medium pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1.5 tablespoon butter over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the thinly sliced shallot and the crushed garlic. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes or until the shallots are slightly soft and fragrant stirring regularly. Season with salt and pepper.
- When the shallots are soft and fragrant, add a cup of risotto. Stir to coat the risotto with the garlicky oil-butter mixture.
- Add in one cup of white wine. Stir regularly and let the risotto cook until the first cup of wine is absorbed.
- Add in the second cup of wine and repeat the process of stirring the risotto as it cooks until the second cup is absorbed.
- Once the wine is absorbed, pour in the first cup of vegetable stock. Cook and stir until absorbed and repeat with the second cup of stock.
- When all the stock is absorbed and the risotto is fluffy and creamy, stir in the cooked lobster pieces, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese.
- Remove from heat. Drizzle with remaining olive oil. Serve hot, garnishing with fresh parsley or fresh squeezed lemon juice if desired.
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