Riso al Forno With Crab and Shrimp

Name: Riso al Forno With Crab and Shrimp
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons salted butter, plus more for greasing the pan; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 large onion, finely diced; Salt and black pepper; 1 1/2 cups carnaroli or arborio rice; Pinch of crumbled saffron threads; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1/4 cup dry white wine; 4 cups unsalted fish, chicken or vegetable stock, plus more as needed; 1 pound crab meat (fresh or canned, drained if needed); 1 pound medium unpeeled shrimp, drizzled with 1 tablespoon olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper; 1/4 cup bread crumbs, preferably coarse homemade; 1 cup crème fraîche; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 1 tablespoon finely sliced chives, plus more for serving; 1 small lemon, zested, plus more zest for serving

By David Tanis

Updated Feb. 2, 2023

Riso al Forno With Crab and Shrimp — David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating: 4(122)
Comments: Read comments

For a casually elegant dinner, this rice casserole fits the bill for a crowd-pleasing main course. It’s generous in the kind of meat you use and its timing: You can use any kind of shellfish, including shrimp or lobster, and you don’t serve it directly from the pot, so there’s no urgency. You can cook the rice and fold in the shellfish up to 2 hours in advance of serving, then top with shrimp and crumbs, and bake.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

2tablespoons salted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1large onion, finely diced
Salt and black pepper
1½cups carnaroli or arborio rice
Pinch of crumbled saffron threads
2tablespoons tomato paste
¼cup dry white wine
4cups unsalted fish, chicken or vegetable stock, plus more as needed
1pound crab meat (fresh or canned, drained if needed)
1pound medium unpeeled shrimp, drizzled with 1 tablespoon olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper
¼cup bread crumbs, preferably coarse homemade
1cup crème fraîche
1teaspoon Dijon mustard
1tablespoon finely sliced chives, plus more for serving
1small lemon, zested, plus more zest for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven at 375 degrees and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Step 2
Put butter and olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3
Add rice and continue to cook, stirring, until well coated. Add saffron and tomato paste, and stir well, then add wine and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes.
Step 4
Add 2 cups stock and adjust heat to a brisk simmer. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring every minute or so. When broth is absorbed, add 1 cup more and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Stir in the last cup of stock, and cook for another 5 minutes, until the rice is done but the grains are still firm. Add more stock if the rice looks dry. Taste rice mixture and adjust seasoning. Turn off heat.
Step 5
Fold crab meat into rice mixture, and transfer contents of pot to the baking dish. Lay shrimp on top and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden. Meanwhile, combine crème fraîche, mustard, chives and lemon zest in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning, as necessary.
Step 6
To serve, spoon rice and shrimp into warm soup plates. Top each serving with a tablespoon of the crème fraîche mixture. If desired, sprinkle more chives and lemon zest over everything.

Ratings

4 out of 5

122 user ratings

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Comments

Bill2 years ago

I know that leaving the shrimp unpeeled may help keep the shrimp from over-cooking, and expands the flavor profile of the dish, but serving unpeeled shrimp to guests makes for a cumbersome and messy experience. Will using peeled, tail-on shrimp compromise the quality of the dish?

KT2 years ago

Some suggestions: Peel the shrimp and make a shrimp stock with the shells. Use that stock for the rice. Assemble the dish per the instructions, sprinkling the breadcrumbs over the crab rice mixture without the shrimp. Bake for 20 minutes. Layer the shrimp on top and bake for another 10 minutes. Serve as recommended in recipe.

Jacquie2 years ago

Unpeeled shrimp with bread crumbs sprinkled on top ruin the dish for me. I don’t want to be peeling shrimp at the table- ever. Neither do my friends. Perhaps cooking the rice a tad longer on the stove and the shrimp on casserole a bit less.

Elizabeth1 year ago

From the recipe description: "You can cook the rice and fold in the shellfish up to 2 hours in advance of serving, then top with shrimp and crumbs, and bake. " Which is how to do this with peeled shrimp, and probably decreases the cooking time.

Me2 years ago

I agree that the recipe needed a little work. I used shell off shrimp, and added garlic, sugar, fish sauce and soy sauce to add umami to the risotto to balance off the tomato paste. Cooked it without the shrimp for 20 minutes added the shrimp and breadcrumbs that I have mixed with butter, for the last 10 minutes at the end, it was great

mhealey2 years ago

This recipe was great, and the shrimp can be done without tails/shells and still stay tender, just reduce cooking time. Watch the saffron, it can be overwhelming if you’re not careful.

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