Seafood Risotto

This seafood risotto is flavorful, creamy, and filling! This recipe uses shrimp and scallops but you can substitute your favorite seafood, coarsely chopped into bit-sized pieces. Remember, the key to a creamy risotto is patience and constant stirring. Once you taste it, though, you'll know it's worth the effort.

Source: Seafood Risotto, Bon Appétit, August 1998

Ingredients

2 ½ cups water

2 8-ounce bottles clam juice

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup finely chopped shallots

1 ½ cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice

½ cup dry white wine

1 14 ½-ounce can Italian-style stewed tomatoes

¾ pound uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, coarsely chopped

¾ pound bay scallops

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions

Combine 2½ cups water and bottled clam juice in medium saucepan. Bring to simmer. Keep warm over low heat.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté until light golden, about 4 minutes. Add rice; sauté 2 minutes. Add wine; stir until liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add stewed tomatoes; cook until liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes.

Add 1 cup clam juice mixture to rice. Simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring often. Continue adding clam juice mixture by ½ cupfuls until rice is tender but still slightly firm in center and mixture is creamy, simmering until liquid is absorbed before each addition and stirring often, about 25 minutes. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, scallops and garlic and sauté until shrimp and scallops are opaque in center, about 6 minutes. Mix seafood into rice. Cook 3 minutes longer. Remove risotto from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl. Stir in chopped parsley and serve.