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A plate of risotto surrounded by fresh lemons and an Italian-style ceramic tile.
Sacha Hirschfeld

Lemon Risotto

This incredibly simple Lemon Risotto is a blank canvas for endless flavor profiles! It's luxurious, bright, and on the table in less than 30 minutes - prep included!
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Mains, Sides
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 4-6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter divided
  • ½ cup shallot finely diced; about 1 medium sized
  • 5 garlic cloves minced
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1 ½ cups uncooked arborio rice may sub carnaroli or vialone nano
  • ¾ cup dry white wine like sauvignon blanc
  • 2-3 lemons ½ cup fresh juice, zest from 1; see notes,
  • 1 ½ cups Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated
  • Italian parsley for garnish (optional)

Equipment

  • 1 medium saucepan
  • 1 soup ladle
  • 1 wide and deep, heavy-bottomed skillet or braiser
  • 1 chefs knife
  • 1 cutting board
  • measuring cups
  • measuring spoons
  • 1 box grater
  • 1 zester
  • 1 wooden spoon

Method
 

  1. In a medium saucepan, bring stock to a simmer. You never want to add cold stock to a risotto!
  2. Warm a wide and deep, heavy-bottomed skillet pan or braiser over medium heat. When the skillet is warmed up, add extra-virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter is melted, add shallots, garlic and a ½ teaspoon of salt. Sweat and cook down for 3-5 minutes until fragrant and soft, taking care not to brown the shallots or garlic.
  3. Add the arborio rice and stir, ensuring each grain is coated in butter & olive oil. Cook until the rice is translucent, about 2 minutes.
  4. Add the white wine and cook until most of it has evaporated, about 2-3 minutes.
  5. Add 1 ladle of stock, along with all the lemon juice and lemon zest; cook while stirring, until the liquid has mostly been absorbed by the rice before adding more stock. Continue adding stock 1 ladle at a time, until the rice al dente, yet still loose. You still want the rice to have a slight bite to it. Do not overcook risotto! I beg you!
  6. Add salt and pepper, as needed. When rice is al dente, remove from heat and stir in Parmigiano Reggiano and remaining butter.
  7. Serve immediately with chopped Italian Parsley, lemon wedges, and Parmigiano Reggiano (optional).

Notes

NOT ALL LEMONS ARE CREATED EQUAL
The amount of juice lemons produce varies greatly so I can't give you an exact number of lemons need for this recipe. You want to aim for ½ cup  of fresh juice. The lemons on my tree produce quite a bit of juice, so this was 2 for me. Having said that, you may need 3 (or even 4), especially if they aren't fully ripen. You'll also need the zest 1 full lemon. Try to find lemons that aren't coasted in a thick wax film.

USE THE RIGHT PAN

For years I made my risotto in a Dutch-oven and recently converted to a wide, heavy-bottomed, straight sided sauté pan like this one. The results spoke for themselves and making the switch was a no-brainer. You can also use a braising pan. Dutch-oven and saucepans simply don't conduct heat evenly, which is crucial for risotto. I'm proof that an old dog can learn new tricks! Ha!

USE THE RIGHT RICE

I cannot stress this enough; use the rice right. Please do not reach for your Jasmine or Basmati because you don't want to run to the grocery store. This is straight up rice dish; using the wrong rice will ruin the recipe. Arborio or Carnaroli are great options that will produce a nice and creamy risotto.

FOLLOW THE PROCESS

The battle royale of risotto is making sure the rice is cooked perfectly al dente. You want the rice to have a slight bite to it, like you aim for with pasta. Adding the broth 1 ladle at time will allow you to have the most control. Not paying attention can result is mushy or undercooked rice; we obviously do not want that!
You want the rice to still be loose so to speak. You want to see a little liquid in between the grains of rice. When you plate it, you want it to spread a bit. It will absorb more of the liquid by in the little time between plating and getting to the table. Risotto is famous for seizing and setting rapidly, so serve it immediately!

TRUST YOURSELF

Making risotto is more of a learned process and less a recipe. As showcased further down the post, you can make variety of risottos. Once you learn a few keys points of what you're looking for, you will be a pro! Depending on what rice or pan you're using, you may need more or less stock. Depending on what stock you're using, you may need more or less salt. My point is, trust yourself. Taste a bunch of times a long the way and use your intuition.