This delicious and decadent Lobster Risotto is made with chunks of lobster and cherry tomatoes in a sherry wine sauce.
Lobster Risotto
This decadent lobster risotto, made with lobster meat (or langostino), arborio rice, cherry tomatoes, sherry wine, and Parmesan cheese, is delicious and full of flavor. I love this seafood dish for special occasions, date nights, or anytime I crave lobster. If lobster is not your thing and you want to try more risotto recipes, you’ll love this Risotto Primavera or Scallops over Spinach Parmesan Risotto.
Why This Lobster Risotto Works
Lobster risotto may sound like a fancy restaurant dish, but this recipe makes it simple to create at home with minimal effort. My photographer doesn’t have access to lobster so she used langostino instead. Here are some reasons to try it:
- Elegant: This restaurant-quality dinner is perfect for elevating any special occasion at home.
- Easy yet Impressive: People tend to think risotto is more complicated than it is. It’s not hard at all, it only requires occasional stirring while making the dish.
- Dietary Restrictions: Weight Watchers-friendly, gluten-free and perfect for pescatarians.
If you make this healthy lobster risotto recipe, I would love to see it. Tag me in your photos or videos on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook! And be sure to join the Skinnytaste Community to see what everyone’s cooking!
Ingredients
Here’s everything you need with explanations and variations to make this homemade risotto. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Broth: Store-bought or homemade chicken broth or even vegetable broth will work. Just make sure it’s warm before using it! It helps the rice cook evenly and achieve risotto’s signature creamy texture.
- Olive Oil to saute the shallots and garlic in, I like a good quality extra virgin olive oil here. The rice absorbs every flavor with which it comes into contact.
- Aromatics: Garlic and shallots add amazing flavor.
- Rice: Good risotto requires a starchy rice. Some varieties have more starch than others do, and the Italian rices traditionally used for risotto hold their shape during cooking and remain al dente (tender yet firm to the bite) when ready. I use arborio rice which is easiest to find.
- Kosher Salt to season the rice
- Tomato Paste deepens the flavor
- Sherry Wine, a fortified wine, adds depth and complexity to the risotto.
- Cherry Tomatoes get sweeter as they cook.
- Lobster: You can use lobster meat from just the tails or claws. Langostino is another option, which is generally cheaper. They resemble lobsters but are the size of large prawns.
- Chives for freshness
- Cheese: Pecorino Roman or parmesan melts and adds a nutty richness.
Helpful Tip
Do not rinse the rice before cooking as it causes the starch to begin releasing too soon.
How to Make Lobster Risotto
Risotto is prepared by gradually adding hot liquid to simmering rice, a technique developed due to the rice’s outer protein layer encasing the starch. As the stock seeps through tiny openings in this layer, it cooks the rice while slowly releasing starch, which thickens the liquid and creates the dish’s signature creaminess. Here’s the step-by-step method (see the printable instructions are below):
- Cook the Aromatics: Saute the shallots and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add the rice and salt and cook for 2 minutes.
- Cook the tomato paste for 5 minutes to remove any bitterness and deepen its flavor. Pour in the sherry wine and cook until it’s absorbed. Add the tomatoes.
- Add enough broth to cover the rice. Stir, cooking on medium-low, until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth, 1 cup at a time, and mixing until the rice is al dente. Add the lobster in the last 5 to 8 minutes. It should take about 20 to 25 minutes to get creamy, not runny, rice.
- Garnish: Stir in the chives and grated cheese.
Variations
- Rice: Arborio is traditionally used, but Carnaroli and Vialone Nano rice are other options.
- Sherry Wine: Substitute with a dry white wine or swap for more broth if you don’t drink wine.
- Tomatoes: Use grape tomatoes.
- If you have cooked lobster, add it in the last minute or 2 to warm it.
- Seafood: Replace lobster with shrimp.
- Herbs: Swap chives with parsley or basil.
Serving Suggestions
Add a veggie to round out the meal. Roasted asparagus or an arugula salad are some simple side dish ideas.
Storage
- Refrigerate lobster risotto for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Reheat it in the microwave or on the stove. If it’s dried out, you may need to add a splash of water or broth.
More Lobster Recipes You’ll Love
Ingredients and Equipment for Making Risotto
Yield: 5 servings
Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
- 7 cups hot vegetable broth, or chicken broth, homemade or store-bought
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1¾ cups Arborio rice, or other short-grain Italian rice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup sherry wine
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1½ cups raw lobster meat, chopped (from an approximate 2 ½ lb lobster or 3 tails or Wild Langostino Lobster)
- ¼ cup chives, chopped
- ½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano, or Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
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Keep the broth warm in a small pot; if you used fresh lobster, add the shells to the broth for extra flavor.
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Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic, and cook until it’s soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the rice and salt, and stir to coat.
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Cook until the rice grains are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook until it turns a dark shade of red, 4-5 minutes. Add sherry wine, and cook until it’s absorbed. Add cherry tomatoes.
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Add a ladle full of broth to cover the rice, cook on medium-low heat until it’s absorbed, and give the rice a good stir.
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Continue to add the broth, 1 cup at a time and mix as the broth is absorbed until the rice is al dente, adding the lobster the last 5-8 minutes. The process should take about 20 to 25 minutes from the first addition of liquid, with the final product still a bit loose and creamy, but not runny.
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Stir in the chives and grated cheese and serve right away.
Last Step:
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Already cooked lobster meat does not need to cook the full 5-8 minutes and can be added in the final 1-2 instead just to warm through.
Serving: 1 ½ cups, Calories: 391 kcal, Carbohydrates: 63 g, Protein: 19 g, Fat: 7 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 47 mg, Sodium: 761 mg, Fiber: 3.5 g, Sugar: 3.5 g
