Seafood Risotto

Seafood risotto is a delectable creamy dish; it can be considered to be one of the staples of Italian cuisine which is noted for its creative use of seafood. Although risotto is now a standard of Italian cooking found in most Italian restaurants, rice dishes are somewhat rare in Italian cuisine. So make sure to relish this opportunity to try one of the more interesting dining options from the famous peninsula, your taste buds will thank you.

Health Benefits

This seafood risotto recipe has many ingredients that contribute to its health profile. The Arborio rice has a lot of health benefits all on its own, but the real star of this dish are the clams. Clams are very high in iron, higher than many forms of protein like liver or lamb. A 3 ounce serving of clams has approximately 24 mg of iron, 6 mg more than the recommended daily dose. This can be especially beneficial for people who are struggling to get enough iron in their diet, especially women. Iron is important because it contributes to red blood cell production which directly affects your body’s ability to take in oxygen.

Nutrition

Per Serving:

469 calories

13 g fat

59 g carbohydrates

21.5 g protein

67 mg cholesterol

359 mg sodium

Ingredients

cups water: 5

fluid oz bottled clam: 16

can chopped clams – drained with juices reserved: 1

cup butter: 1/4

yellow onion (chopped): 1

cups arborio rice: 2

cup white wine: 3/4

Saffron: 1/2 tsp

tsp dried basil: 1

oz cooked salmon: 8

Kosher salt

ground black pepper

How To Make Seafood Risotto

1. Place water, bottled clam juice, and reserved juice from canned clams into a medium saucepan.
2. Set over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
3. Melt butter over medium heat in a large pot or deep skillet.
4. Stir in onion, and cook until softened; about 10 minutes.
5. Stir in rice, and cook while stirring for 3 to 5 minutes.

Note: Do not let rice brown.

6. Pour in wine, and cook.
7. Stir until the wine is evaporated.
8. Add ½ cup of simmering broth and stir until the broth is almost all evaporated.
9. Then add another ½ cup of broth.
10. Stir in saffron and basil.
11. Continue adding broth ½ cup at a time.
12. Stir until the liquid has evaporated and the rice is almost al dente; about 20 minutes.
    Stir in clams, flaked salmon, and 1/2 cup broth when the inside of the rice is slightly more firm than desired in the final dish.
13. Stir until the liquid evaporates.
14. Season with salt and pepper.
15. Vigorously stir in a½ cup broth.
16. Remove from heat before the liquid has completely evaporated.
17. Serve and enjoy! 

Trivia

The starch content of Arborio rice, the rice used in risotto, is what gives risotto its creamy quality.