Lobster Risotto Recipe

close up of scooping out some lobster risotto

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5 from 5 votes

This creamy homemade risotto is made with tender lobster meat, flavorful broth, cream, and plenty of parmesan cheese.

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings:

Calories: 540kcal

Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

For Lobster Meat:

3-4 lobster tails, about 8 oz. each depending how much lobster you want
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt
black pepper

For Risotto:

1-2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 shallots diced
3 garlic cloves minced
2 tbsp cognac
1 cup Arborio rice
2/3 cup dry white wine
4- 4 1/2 cups seafood or lobster stock vegetable stock can also be used
lobster shells from the lobster tails
1 lemon-zest only
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
salt
black pepper
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

How To Take Lobster Meat Out:

Pick up the lobster tail and cut the hard, outer shell down the middle all the way down to where the shell meets the tail.
To pull the shell apart, you will need to use some muscle and crack the ribs on the softer underside with your hands. But be careful, lobsters often have spikes on the underbelly. (You can use gloves to help protect your hands.)
Pull the shell open as much as you can to access the meat.
Use your fingers to gently and carefully pull the meat away from the shell walls and gently lift the meat out. Gently pull by the meat to completely pull it out of the shell.
Dice the lobster meat into small pieces and place the shells into the sauce pot.
Measure and prepare remaining ingredients.

To Prepare Risotto:

Combine stock, dried herbs, lemon zest, lobster shells, salt, and pepper in a sauce pot and heat it until just starts to simmer. Turn the heat down to low so it stays warm while you prepare risotto.
Heat up a large cooking pan over medium-high heat and add butter. Let butter melt and add diced lobster meat. Season with a little salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
Stir and cook just until lobster meat turns opaque and take it out of the pan.
Lower the heat to medium, add a little more butter to the pan, and add diced onions to the pan. Sauté onions until it starts to brown and add garlic. Sauté just until garlic is fragrant, and add rice.
Stir and let rice sauté for a minute or so.
Pour in cognac, mix well, and let rice soak it up.
Depending on your stove, you may need to lower the heat to medium-low.
Pour in half of the white wine and stir it to spread everything evenly. Let rice simmer and absorb the wine. Stir a little as rice simmers.
Once wine is absorbed, stir and pour in about a 1/2 cup of hot broth. Stir and let rice simmer and absorb the liquid.
Pour in remaining wine, stir and let it absorb as it cooks.
Continue to add about 1/2-2/3 cup of hot broth at a time and letting the rice absorb the liquid before each addition. Remember to stir often, before and after adding the liquid to rice.
When rice is almost done, add back lobster meat and grated Parmesan cheese, stir, and let the cheese melt into the risotto.
Cook risotto until rice is al dente. You want to taste rice often and let it cook until it has just a little resistance in the middle when you bite it.
Stir in heavy whipping cream and let it heat through for a minute or so.
Serve right away and you can top it off with some fresh minced parsley, chives, and/or Parmesan cheese.

Video

Notes

Lyuba's Tips:

Arborio Rice - It's a short grain white rice, and it’s the only rice to ever use in risotto! Short grain rice has more starch than long grain rice, and that starch releases, which thickens and adds a creamy element to the dish. Arborio rice cannot be substituted! (You can always use leftover rice to make Parmesan Risotto and may others.)
Hot broth – make sure to heat up broth first and season it with salt and pepper. Adding cold broth to the cooking rice will lower the temperature of the dish and mess with the cooking process. You want to add hot broth to the hot rice as it cooks.
Add liquid gradually – do take your time with risotto and add a little broth at a time. Adding broth gradually and letting rice absorb some liquid at a time will help it release the starches and give you the best texture.
Stir often – stir the rice often but not constant. Constantly stirring will lower the temperature of the dish so you don’t want to stir the entire time. Stir right before and after adding wine and stock, and a couple of times in between.
Use medium or slightly below heat – rice should be simmering while it’s cooking not boiling or cooking too slow. Each stove is slightly different as far as heat settings so use the best setting for a gentle simmer. which could be medium or slightly below medium.
Can't use wine? Substitute with an equal amount of stock or broth. You can also add a squeeze of lemon juice to the broth to add some acidity. You can also get a tablespoon or two of less sweet grape juice to bring some more flavor.

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