Calamari Shrimp Zucchini Risotto

This Calamari Shrimp Zucchini Risotto is a great combination of flavors and a fantastic way of adding vegetables to a seafood dish!

Calamari is one of my daughter's favorite foods (really!) so from time to time we make it at home.

We usually make pasta or, like the recipe from today's post, risotto. This recipe has also shrimp and zuchinni. This last ingredient was not on our plans, but we had one at home and thought it could add a nice touch to the dish. And it did!

Jump to:

• 🤔 How to make risotto
• 📋 Ingredients
• 🥓 Bacon: the secret ingredient
• 🦐 Shrimp bouillon substitutions
• 🍳 How to make it
• 😁 What does "al dente" mean?
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Plus, it was a way making her have some, as it is one of her least favorite vegetables.

🤔 How to make risotto

Risotto is not hard to make. The secret to a good risotto is to stir and add the liquid little by little. The constant stirring removes the starch from the grain and thickens the broth, giving the risotto its creamy signature.  

📋 Ingredients

To make this recipe you will need:

• olive oil
• garlic (minced)
• onion (chopped)
• calamari (sliced into rings)
• shrimp (peeled, deveined and cooked)
• salt
• black pepper
• shrimp bouillon cube (or seafood stock)
• bacon fat (optional)
• risotto rice (arborio or carnaroli rice)
• dry white wine
• zucchini
• boiling water
• parmesan cheese (grated, for serving)

🥓 Bacon: the secret ingredient

We added some bacon fat to this recipe and it was amazing!

When we cook bacon for breakfast - or any other recipe that says to discard the bacon fat, instead of discarding it, we store it in a small covered glass jar in the fridge and use to improve the flavors in some recipes.

Here it does make a little difference, as it adds some of its smokiness to the dish - but it is optional.

But if you don't have bacon fat you can, cook a large strip of bacon before starting the recipe, snack on the crispy bacon and leave its fat in the pan!

🦐 Shrimp bouillon substitutions

This recipe calls for shrimp bouillon cube, but you can use any seafood bouillon cube or concentrated seafood stock.

If using concentrated seafood stock, dilute it with double the amount of water suggested by package instructions so you have around 5 cups of stock. Instead of using water in the recipe, use this stock.

This also applies if you use regular shrimp or seafood stock. Use 2.5 cups of stock and 2.5 cups of water in the recipe.

You can also use vegetable stock in place of shrimp/seafood stock.

🍳 How to make it

• In a large skillet add 3 tbsp olive oil and minced garlic.
• Cook a little and add calamari.
• Fry for to 2 minutes, remove from heat and add 3/4 shrimp, salt and pepper - set aside.
• In a pan add 3 tbsp olive oil, bacon fat (if using) and chopped onion.
• Cook until onion is translucent.
• Add remaining shrimp, shrimp stock cube, rice and wine.
• Stir well.
• When wine reduces, pour 1 cup boiling water and stir.
• Keep on stirring and adding water (1/2 a cup at a time) until rice is "al dente" (around 20 minutes).
• Add calamari and shrimp to rice.
• In the same skillet you used for calamari and shrimp, add 3 tbsp olive oil and cook zucchini until golden brown.
• Add zucchini to the risoto, gently stir and serve with parmesan cheese.

If using other stocks see "Shrimp boiullion substitutions" above.

😁 What does "al dente" mean?

"Al dente" is an Italian expression that refers to the point where a cooked item is not fully cooked, but tender and ok to eat, still making some resistance when bitting. A literal translation would be "to the tooth" so, when bitting something "al dente" (pasta or rice) you should feel the resistance/crunch with your teeth.

📖 Recipe

I think you will also enjoy this crab and broccoli risotto or this creamy asparagus risotto.