Risotto. Sea Scallops. Heaven for your tastebuds.
One thing I love about risotto is how many proteins you can choose to pair it with. You can serve it as a side to garlic roasted chicken or grilled bison. It’s easy unbelievably delicious with sea scallops, that’s one of my favorite ways to eat it. Sea Scallops are the big ones and taste very sweet.
I used to stand over the stove stirring and stirring the risotto. My arm would ache after the hour it takes to make this. But risotto is delicious, and we love it, so I kept making it. And then The Boy was born. Life really changes when you have a baby. Gone was the hour to stir the pot, but the craving was still there. And after several attempts, this easy and simple risotto with sea scallops recipe was born.
What You’ll Need:
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 cup Arborio rice
1/3 cup white wine (if you don’t have wine on hand, you can substitute water, white grape juice, or apple juice)
3 3/4 cups of chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water
1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound of Sea Scallops, rinsed and patted dry (if you’re using frozen, be sure to thaw before cooking)
Parsley for garnish
What You’ll Do:
1. In heavy duty sauté pan, melt butter. Add onions, garlic, and mushrooms (if using). Stir occasionally, until onions are soft and opaque.
2. Add Arborio rice and stir. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring continuously.
3. Add wine and cook until wine is absorbed.
4. Add 2 cups of broth. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring periodically until all broth is absorbed.
5. Spray second saute pan with cooking spray and add sea scallops.
6. To the risotto pan, add remaining broth and peas (if using). Stir to combine; simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Turn sea scallops.
8. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Add cooked sea scallops. Garnish with parsley. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
Special notes about this recipe:
I’ve discovered that you do not need to constantly stir the risotto for it to cook. Leave it alone!
You can add as many vegetables as you wish. I generally add spinach when I add the onions. That tastes delightful.
If you like to eat with your protein (seafood or chicken) mixed in with the risotto, cook your protein in a separate pan and add to the risotto during the last few minutes of cooking. You can even use leftovers – this would be a great way to use the rest of that roasted chicken.
What do you like to put in your risotto?
I chuckled when I saw the title of this post. My husband and I watch Hells Kitchen and risotto is a staple item in their kitchen, but neither one of us have ever had it and frankly, we are both unclear about what risotto actually is. This cleared that up 🙂
Simply put: Risotto is an italian rice dish cooked in stock – you can add whatever vegetables and proteins you like to it. It’s super easy to make and you can switch up the flavors easily. We eat it often because of that.
Everytime I hear the name risotto I think of the show Hells Kitchen. I’ve never made it before because I always thought it would be hard to master since Gordon Ramsay seems to curse out all his cooks when they get it wrong. LOL!
It’s quite easy to make! I’m going to have to check out Hell’s Kitchen – you’re the second person to mention it to me!
I love pasta and scallops so this meal is actually a match made in heaven for me.
Oh wow that looks very yummy! I haven’t risotto in years because I don’t know how to make it so thanks for the recipe! Not sure if I’ve tried scallops before but regardless it looks like I could eat it right now.
It’s quite easy to make! You may have luck finding scallops in the frozen seafood section at your grocery store; be certain they’re defrosted before cooking.
I love Risotto, but I haven’t made it in over 3 years now. I also love Sea Scallops and think they actually pair best with Risotto. I agree about all that stirring, you really don’t need to stir constantly- you just need to keep a good eye on everything.
Great repice. Thank you for sharing it with us. I love to meal plan so I love seeing new ideas.
Hi Tina! I menu plan, too! It’s so helpful and such a time saver. I share my menu plan each week on Mondays, be sure to stop by and check it out!
This looks delicious! I have never prepared Risotto and thinks this recipe looks easy enough to follow and prepare.
After reading the ingredients, I can taste this already! I can imagine it tasting quite amazing. and the garlic will add the perfect touch!
My boyfriend loves scallops, so I’m thinking I should make this and surprise him. He’d love it!
Rissoto is one of my all-time favorites! Can you believe that once I went to Olive Garden and was served regular rice when the recipe called for risotto?! Blasphemy!
This looks really good! I love scallops, but the rest of my family isn’t too big on them. But in dishes like this, I can probably convince them.
You could serve it with Shrimp or Chicken instead of the scallops. Some evenings, I make a large batch of risotto and we eat it one night with seafood and the following night serve it with roasted chicken. It’s versatile as a meal or a side dish!
I have never had Risotto. I better get busy and make this so that I can have that experience . It really looks very tasty.
We are going Wheat free in my home. I wonder if these ingredients are wheat free. From what I can tell it is. And it looks delicious.
I believe that Arborio rice is wheat free, just be cautious of any store bought stocks, as you know, they may contain wheat.
Easy and delicious two of my favorite things.
This looks like a good recipe. I would love to try this.
This looks so good! I haven’t had scallops in so long! I pinned it to my food board!
It has been so long since I have ate scallops, but I do love them. This risotto sounds fabulous!
My boys love scallop dishes, so I might surprise them when they’re home for a visit at some point, with this recipe. My DIL loves them too, so it could be a huge hit! 🙂
This is such a mouth watering rissotto – yum!
I’ve never made risotto myself because of the time, but this recipe is pretty simple. Thanks for sharing!
This looks delish! I’m a HUGE fan of risotto, but you’ve made an entire meal out of it! Bravo!
YUM! I love risotto and sea scallops. What a great combo…looks like it would be good with asparagus too.
Funny that you mention asparagus, Marni. My husband make the same suggestion! Looks like next time I make it, I’ll be adding a few stalks!
It’s almost dinner time over here on the west coast. I’m just sitting here drooling 😛
Omg my mouth is watering right now! I love risotto and will be trying this recipe next week.
Would love to hear if you enjoy the recipe! It’s quite easy to make and tastes great, too!
I have recently just made this meal and it was amazing. You should make more recipes, my kids love it.
I’ve never had risotto, but I really want to try it. However some of the products in the recipe I cannot have. That is a bummer!
I love how filling this looks, but fresh and light too!
This looks so delicious! I’ve been wanting to make Risotto ever since I’ve seen it being made on Hell’s Kitchen. Thanks for this recipe.
EVERYONE is talking about Hell’s Kitchen and risotto! I think I should watch the show!
This is looks so yummy!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Oh that looks amazing!
Thank you, Kady! It was so delicious; I’m looking forward to making it again!