Summer Corn Risotto with Shrimp

5 from 10 votes

This Summer Corn Risotto with Shrimp combines sweet corn, tender shrimp, Parmesan, and fresh basil into a creamy, restaurant-worthy dinner that's ready in about 45 minutes.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Author: Gaby Dalkin

Ingredients

For the Risotto

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 leek white and light green parts only, finely chopped
1 shallot sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup arborio rice
¾ cup Edna Valley Vineyard Chardonnay
3 cups chicken stock plus more as needed
1 ½ cups raw corn kernels from about 2 ears corn
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese

For the Salsa Verde

2 cups mixed herbs (basil, parsley, and cilantro)
1 garlic clove
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons capers rinsed and drained
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper

For the Shrimp

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 garlic cloves finely chopped
½ cup Edna Valley Vineyard Chardonnay
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes more as needed
1 pound large shrimp cleaned, de-veined and shelled
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 lemon juiced, plus more as needed

Instructions

For the Salsa Verde:

In a food processor, combine herbs, garlic, and vinegar and capers. Pulse until coarsely chopped, 20 seconds. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper

For the Risotto

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a wide sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add leek and shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add rice and cook, stirring, until grains look slightly translucent.
Pour in wine and cook, stirring, until it has all been absorbed, about 2 minutes.
Add a ½ cup of stock to the rice mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until rice has absorbed all of the stock. Continue cooking, adding cups of stock whenever rice mixture looks dry and stirring continuously. When half the stock has been added, stir in corn. Continue cooking until all of the stock is incorporated, corn is tender and rice is creamy and tender, about 30 to 40 minutes total.
Remove risotto from heat and stir in Parmesan and remaining tablespoon of butter. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Uncover risotto, stir and season to taste with salt and pepper. Immediately before serving, stir in the mascarpone cheese. Top with shrimp and a spoonful of salsa verde.

For the Shrimp

In a large skillet, melt butter and olive oil. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine, a pinch of salt, red pepper flakes and plenty of black pepper and bring to a simmer. Let wine cook down for about 2 minutes.
Add shrimp and sauté until they just turn pink, 3 to 4 minutes depending upon their size. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice.

Notes

Warm your chicken stock before adding it to the rice. Cold stock added to hot rice drops the pan temperature and slows the cooking process unevenly. Keep your stock in a small saucepan on low heat next to the risotto pan so each addition absorbs smoothly and consistently.
Toast the arborio rice in the pan before adding any liquid. Stirring the dry rice in the butter with the leek and shallot for a minute or two coats each grain and creates a slight barrier that helps the rice stay creamy rather than mushy as it absorbs liquid.
Add the wine before any stock and let it fully absorb. The acid in the Chardonnay deglazes the pan, lifts any fond from the leek and shallot, and seasons the rice from the inside out. Skipping this step means you lose a full layer of flavor built into the base.
Add stock in half-cup increments, not all at once. The gradual addition of liquid is what coaxes the starch out of the arborio rice and creates that signature creamy texture. Dumping all the stock in at once turns risotto into soup.
Stir constantly but not frantically. Consistent stirring keeps the rice moving so it does not stick and encourages starch release, but aggressive over-stirring can break down the grains too fast. A steady, calm rhythm is what you want.
Add the corn at the halfway point of cooking, not at the start. Fresh corn kernels only need about 15 minutes to become tender. Adding them too early turns them soft and starchy rather than sweet and slightly toothsome against the creamy rice.
Pull the risotto off the heat before stirring in the Parmesan and butter. Residual heat is enough to melt the cheese and butter without breaking the emulsion or making the final texture grainy. Adding dairy over direct heat can cause the fat to separate.
Stir in the mascarpone at the very last second before serving. Mascarpone is delicate and can thin out quickly once it hits the hot rice. Folding it in right before plating keeps the risotto at its creamiest and richest consistency.
Pat your shrimp completely dry before they go into the pan. Surface moisture on shrimp causes steaming rather than searing. A dry shrimp hits the hot butter and oil mixture and develops better color and texture in the same 3 to 4 minute window.
Do not overcook the shrimp once they turn pink. Shrimp go from perfectly tender to rubbery in under a minute. Pull them off the heat the moment they curl into a loose C shape and have turned fully opaque.
Make the salsa verde first so the flavors have time to meld. Letting the herb mixture sit in the olive oil for even 15 to 20 minutes before serving allows the garlic, capers, and vinegar to integrate rather than tasting sharp and separate on top of the finished dish.
Use the salsa verde as a finishing sauce, not a garnish. A generous spoonful stirred partially into the risotto at the table, rather than just placed on top, distributes the brightness of the herbs and the acidity of the vinegar throughout every bite.

Nutrition (estimated)