A few months ago, I purchased some more frozen lobster tails and after thinking for a while about I wanted to use them for, I finally settled on a risotto. I almost made it one weeknight, except that I came home to realize I had no parmesan cheese and really no desire to go to the store. In the end, I made it on a Saturday afternoon and since I had some extra time, I made a broth using the lobster tails instead of using the chicken broth I had gotten for it. The broth was very flavorful from just the tails, but if you are looking for a recipe using a whole lobster, you can find it on Stefan’s Gourmet Blog. While I was making this, I couldn’t stop thinking about Gordon Ramsay screaming at the Hell’s Kitchen contestants about burned/mushy/uncooked risotto π I know it’s for entertainment purposes, but I still can’t figure out why season after season after season, some contestants fail to properly cook scallops and risotto!!! Fortunately, all went well with my risotto, but I guess I didn’t have the pressure of Ramsay yelling at me π
Ingredients (serves 2-3):
- 2 lobster tails (4-5 oz each), thawed
- 4 Tb butter
- 2 large shallots, chopped
- 3-5 sprigs of thyme
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1/2 cup white wine
- several asparagus spears, ends snapped and cut into 1/2-1″ pieces
- 2 Tb parmesan
- salt and pepper
Bring 3 1/2 cups of water to boil. Add lobster tails and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove tails, let cool for a bit, cut in half using kitchen shears and then remove the meat. Chop meat into bite-size pieces and save for later.
Melt 2 Tb butter in a pot over medium heat. Add half the shallot and cook until translucent (5 min). Add lobster shells and cook until browned and fragrant (5-7 min). Add lobster cooking liquid, thyme, bring to a boil, cover and reduce to simmer.
Simmer for 1-2 hrs. Season with salt and pepper. Strain broth and keep warm in a small saucepan.
Melt the remaining 2 Tb of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until translucent (5 min). Add rice and cook for a few minutes or until the edges are translucent, but the middle is still opaque (2 min). Add wine and cook until it is all evaporated. Add broth in 1/2 – 1 cup increments and cook until broth is absorbed. Add the asparagus with the last 1/2 cup of broth. Cook until the rice is tender, but still has a bite (~ 20 minutes total). Add lobster meat and cook until heated through (2-3 min).
Add parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Adjust seasoning. Serve with additional parmesan cheese.
This was a lovely dish and I highly recommend making the stock if you have the time. The stock gave the risotto a lot of flavor!
Thanks for the link π
you’re welcome π I still feel bad killing live lobsters even though I know it is worth it flavor wise!
The frozen tails also come from lobsters that used to be alive. You could actually be killing it in a nicer way than the frozen one was.
Looks delicious! LOL, Hell’s Kitchen and all the wellington, risotto and scallop drama. Makes me laugh. Would love to try this recipe someday when I splurge and get some lobster π
I know, HK should really change their menu for some variety in the drama π You might not have to splurge too much if you watch out for the frozen lobster tail sales (~$5/tail in Chicago)…that’s what I do π
Thanks for the tip!
Very nice, Andreea. Somehow, I missed the invite for dinner. I need to talk to USPS about this. π
Thanks, Richard! yes, silly USPS, no wonder they’re going bankrupt π
This looks delish!! Do you think I could substitute out the butter with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, or some other butter-wannabe? Wondering if there’s a way to lighten up this dish (eventhough it is risotto lol). -CFC
substitute away π you could also use olive/vegetable oil. I am not very familiar with the butter substitutes so I am unsure if they’re healthier than oil.
oh i just love how you took the time to make your own stock..i bet it gave so much flavor to the risotto..lovely post…sarah
it did, indeed! totally worth it if you have the time! thanks for the visit π
Making the stock is sooo worth it – this looks wonderful!
it was indeed! thank you for your nice comment π
haha I love Gordon Ramsay π We always like to make a point of pronouncing this dish “riz-AH-toh” in his English way when we are feeling silly. Your version sounds positively amazing! Making broth from the tales, not letting anything go to waste… smart girl π I wonder if some lobster tails are in our future, budget-wise…. risotto is such a comforting and versitile dish!
oh, I should work on my GR pronunciation for the next time I make risotto π I have to admit that lately I haven’t been very good at not being wasteful, but I am working on it. I hope there will be some lobster tails in your future, just watch out for the sales. I never pay full price for mine π