Lemony Prawn and Pea Risotto

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One of the most delicious Italian dishes you’ll ever enjoy is a creamy risotto. And it’s even better when it’s a Lemony Prawn and Pea Risotto.

Lemony Prawn and Pea Risotto is so creamy!

A blue bowl with prawn and pea risotto

The rich creaminess from the arborio rice really compliments the prawns. I particularly enjoy serving this dish for lunch as it’s just right to enjoy a bit of decadent risotto. But you can also enjoy it for dinner.

In fact, when it comes to risotto, it’s a fair question to ask if it’s a main dish or a side dish. And the answer is that it can be served as either one. I find when serving a risotto with prawns, it’s satisfying as a main course, but others may like to serve it as a side dish alongside your favorite grilled fish. Either way, it’s absolutely delicious.

Enjoy our prawn risotto with or without parmesan

Most Italian dishes with seafood don’t combine seafood with dairy. This recipe can be made with or without parmesan. We think it’s really yummy both ways. So make it how it pleases you. It will still be rich and creamy without the addition of the parmesan cheese.

In fact, we’ve photographed the recipe both ways so you can get an idea of what to expect. The photos in the white bowl have parmesan, and the photos in the blue bowl do not.

Making Risotto is simple with our easy steps

Large prawns risotto in a blue bowl on a striped napkin with lemons.

Now, making risotto is known to be a little bit of a labor of love. We’ve broken this recipe down to make it as simple as possible, and we find that it’s really quite simple. Just take it step by step, and you’ll have some delicious risotto before you know it!

You may enjoy some of our other delicious Italian dishes (or Italian inspired) too. Why not give one of these a try?

Ingredients you need to make Lemony Prawn and Pea Risotto

A white bowl filled with prawns and risotto.

  • 5 c. fish or chicken stock, divided
  • 1 lbs. large prawns (or shrimp), peeled, deveined, and tails-on
  • ¼ c. extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1 large stalk celery, finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 1½ c. Arborio rice
  • ½ c. dry white wine
  • 1 c. frozen peas
  • 3 T. fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 t. fresh lemon zest, preferably organic
  • 1 T. fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ c. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional)
  • 2 large organic lemons, quartered
  • Garnish with additional fresh parsley and grated cheese, if desired.

Tips for Making Lemony Prawn and Pea Risotto

Substitute large wild-caught shrimp if prawns are not available.

Do not rinse the Arborio rice before cooking. The extra starch is needed to create the signature creamy texture of this dish.

To incorporate even more flavor into each bite, roughly chop half the prawns and stir into the risotto in Step 9. Then, divide the remaining whole prawns to top off each serving.

If you will be deveining the prawns yourself and haven’t done it before, Gordon Ramsay has a great video on how to do it. He makes the task so easy.

How to make Lemony Prawn and Pea Risotto

  1. Place the top oven rack in the center position and pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat® baking mat. Set aside.
  2. Add the fish or chicken stock to a large saucepan and bring it to a light simmer over medium heat.
  3. Add the prawns to a large bowl and drizzle with two tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and toss to combine. Spread shrimp into an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Set aside.
  4. In a separate large skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic. Season salt and black pepper, to taste, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes soft and translucent, approximately 4-5 minutes.
  5. Add the Arborio rice to the skillet and lightly toast, stirring continually, for approximately 1-2 minutes. Pour in the wine and stir continually until the wine is almost fully absorbed, approximately 2-3 minutes.
  6. Add one half cup of the warm fish or chicken stock the skillet and stir constantly until it is absorbed into the rice, approximately 2-3 minutes. Repeat with the remaining stock, stirring continually until the excess liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked through, approximately 25-30 minutes total.
  7. Add the peas to the risotto in the last 5 minutes of cooking and stir to combine. Season with additional salt and black pepper, if desired.
  8. Once the peas are added to the risotto, place the prepared prawns into the pre-heated oven and roast for 5-6 minutes, or until they are opaque. Do not overcook. Remove from oven and set aside.
  9. When the peas are heated through, stir the fresh parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, and grated cheese (if using) into the risotto until thoroughly combined. Serve immediately topped with the roasted prawns and fresh lemon wedges on the side. Enjoy!

A white bowl filled with large prawn risotto.

Print and Save the Recipe

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Lemony Prawn and Pea Risotto

Jennifer Quisenberry
Our Lemony Prawn and Pea Risotto is so creamy and delicious. You can make it with prawns or with jumbo shrimp.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Entree, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6
Calories 821 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 5 c. fish or chicken stock divided
  • 1 lbs. large prawns or shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails-on
  • ¼ c. extra virgin olive oil divided
  • 1 small yellow onion finely diced
  • 1 large stalk celery finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste
  • c. Arborio rice
  • ½ c. dry white wine
  • 1 c. frozen peas
  • 3 fresh parsley chopped
  • 2 t. fresh lemon zest preferably organic
  • 1 fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ c. Parmesan cheese freshly grated (optional)
  • 2 large organic lemons quartered
  • Garnish with additional fresh parsley and grated cheese if desired.

Instructions
 

  • Place the top oven rack in the center position and pre-heat the oven to 400°Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat® baking mat. Set aside.
  • Add the fish or chicken stock to a large saucepan and bring it to a light simmer over medium heat.
  • Add the prawns to a large bowl and drizzle with two tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and toss to combine. Spread shrimp into an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Set aside.
  • In a separate large skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic. Season salt and black pepper, to taste, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes soft and translucent, approximately 4-5 minutes.
  • Add the Arborio rice to the skillet and lightly toast, stirring continually, for approximately 1-2 minutes. Pour in the wine and stir continually until the wine is almost fully absorbed, approximately 2-3 minutes.
  • Add one half cup of the warm fish or chicken stock the skillet and stir constantly until it is absorbed into the rice, approximately 2-3 minutes. Repeat with the remaining stock, stirring continually until the excess liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked through, approximately 25-30 minutes total.
  • Add the peas to the risotto in the last 5 minutes of cooking and stir to combine. Season with additional salt and black pepper, if desired.
  • Once the peas are added to the risotto, place the prepared prawns into the pre-heated oven and roast for 5-6 minutes, or until they are opaque. Do not overcook. Remove from oven and set aside.
  • When the peas are heated through, stir the fresh parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, and grated cheese (if usininto the risotto until thoroughly combined. Serve immediately topped with the roasted prawns and fresh lemon wedges on the side. Enjoy!

Notes

Tip 1: Substitute large wild-caught shrimp if prawns are not available.
Tip 2: Do not rinse the Arborio rice before cooking. The extra starch is needed to create the signature creamy texture of this dish.
Tip 3: To incorporate even more flavor into each bite, roughly chop half the prawns and stir into the risotto in Step 9. Then, divide the remaining whole prawns to top off each serving.
Please note that nutrition facts are subject to change based on your choice of ingredients.

Nutrition

Calories: 821kcal
Keyword Lemony Prawn and Pea Risotto
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