Seafood Risotto Recipe (Creamy & Restaurant-Style)

Name: Seafood Risotto Recipe (Creamy & Restaurant-Style)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice; 8 oz large shrimp, peeled and deveined; 8 oz sea scallops, side muscle removed; 12 oz mussels, scrubbed and debearded; 6 oz calamari, cleaned and sliced into rings; 5 cups seafood or fish stock, warm; 1/2 cup dry white wine; 2 shallots, finely diced; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 1 lemon, zested and juiced; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 2 tablespoons Ultra High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for finishing

This creamy seafood risotto folds shrimp, scallops, mussels, and calamari into tender Arborio rice for a restaurant-style dinner you can make at home. A fruity, peppery extra virgin olive oil builds the base and finishes the plate.

By Olivea Kitchen | Published June 21, 2026

Jump to Recipe

Prep 15 min

Cook 30 min

Total 45 min

Intermediate

Why We Love This Recipe

We love this seafood risotto because it eats like a treat and still leans on genuinely nourishing ingredients. Shrimp, scallops, mussels, and calamari bring lean protein along with minerals like selenium, zinc, and vitamin B12, while the dish stays squarely in the Mediterranean diet pattern of seafood, rice, aromatics, and good olive oil.

Extra virgin olive oil does double duty here, and that is where the flavor and the goodness meet. We cook the soffritto and toast the rice in High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, then finish each bowl with a raw drizzle of the bolder Ultra High Phenolic. Both are rich in polyphenols, specifically hydroxytyrosol, the most studied olive polyphenol, and that peppery catch at the back of your throat from a fresh finishing drizzle is those polyphenols you can actually taste. Olivea is developed with Harvard-trained cardiologists, USDA Certified Organic, single-origin from Messinia, Greece, early harvest, cold-pressed within hours, and qNMR-verified by the University of Athens. If you want the research on olive-oil polyphenols, Olivea publishes the science it is built on.

Because polyphenols are highest in a fresh bottle and fade with time and heat, the raw finishing drizzle is how the most of them reach the plate, alongside the monounsaturated fats that make olive oil the cornerstone fat of the Mediterranean table. You can read more about the science behind Olivea.

View Nutrition Facts

Recipe Success Tips

Warm your stock before you start.

Keep the seafood stock at a bare simmer in a pot next to the rice. Adding hot stock keeps the risotto cooking evenly and helps the Arborio release its starch into that signature creaminess, while cold stock stalls the pot and turns the grains gummy.

Cook the seafood separately, then fold it in.

Sear the scallops and shrimp in their own pan and steam the mussels apart from the rice. Folding everything in during the last two minutes keeps the seafood tender instead of rubbery and lets you control each texture.

Stir often, not constantly.

A stir every minute or two coaxes out the starch without beating the rice to mush. You want a loose, flowing risotto that spreads slightly on the plate, what Italians call all'onda, or on the wave.

Finish raw with a peppery olive oil.

A thread of Ultra High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil over each bowl right before serving adds a fresh, grassy, throat-catching pepper that lifts the briny seafood. Drizzle it off the heat so its flavor and polyphenols land bright on the plate.

Do not rinse the rice.

That surface starch on Arborio is exactly what makes risotto creamy. Measure it straight from the bag into the toasting oil and skip the rinse you would use for pilaf.

Ingredients

servings

3 tablespoons High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
8 oz large shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 oz sea scallops, side muscle removed
12 oz mussels, scrubbed and debearded
6 oz calamari, cleaned and sliced into rings
5 cups seafood or fish stock, warm
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 shallots, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons Ultra High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for finishing

Kitchen Tools You'll Need

Wide Heavy Saucepan

Large Skillet

Lidded Pot

Wooden Spoon

Ladle

Fine Grater

How to Cook Seafood Risotto Recipe (Creamy & Restaurant-Style)

PREP

Pat the shrimp, scallops, and calamari completely dry and season lightly with salt. Scrub and debeard the mussels, discarding any that stay open when tapped. Keep the seafood stock warm at a low simmer in a separate pot.

COOK

Warm the High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a wide heavy saucepan over medium heat, then sweat the shallots until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes, adding the garlic for the final minute. The High Phenolic carries the aromatics evenly and rounds out the base without ever fighting the seafood.

Add the Arborio rice and toast it in the oil for 2 minutes, stirring, until the edges turn translucent and the grains smell faintly nutty.

Pour in the white wine and stir until it is almost fully absorbed. Begin adding the warm stock one ladle at a time, stirring often and letting each addition absorb before the next, for about 18 minutes, until the rice is creamy and just al dente.

SEAR

While the rice cooks, sear the scallops and shrimp in a hot skillet until just opaque and golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side, and set aside. Steam the mussels in a splash of stock with a lid until they open, then add the calamari rings for the final minute just until tender.

FINISH

Fold the cooked seafood, lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley gently into the risotto and let it rest off the heat for a minute so everything settles. Finish each bowl with a raw drizzle of Ultra High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil for a fresh, peppery lift over the briny seafood, and serve right away.

Recipe Notes

Serving Suggestions

Serve this as a generous main with a crisp green salad and crusty bread, and a glass of the same dry white wine you cooked with. If you want a single-shellfish version, try the creamy shrimp risotto or the more decadent lobster risotto for a special occasion.

Variations

Use whatever is freshest at the counter, swapping in clams or crab for the mussels and calamari. For a meatless base before the seafood goes in, the technique mirrors our creamy Parmesan risotto, which is a good blueprint for the rice itself.

Which Olivea Oil To Use

Cook the soffritto and toast the rice in the smooth, balanced High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which is suited to everyday cooking heat. Save the bolder, more peppery Ultra High Phenolic for the raw finishing drizzle, where its fresh, grassy bite is tasted directly.

Storage Tips

Risotto is best the day it is made, but leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat gently with a splash of stock to loosen it, and add a fresh drizzle of olive oil just before serving since heat and time dull a finishing oil.

Nutrition Facts per Serving

Nutrition Facts

Serving size about 1 1/2 cups

Calories 520

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 17g22%

Saturated Fat 2.5g13%

Trans Fat 0g

Unsaturated Fat 14g

Monounsaturated Fat 11g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 165mg55%

Sodium 880mg38%

Total Carbohydrate 62g23%

Dietary Fiber 2g7%

Total Sugars 2g

Includes 0g Added Sugars 0%

Protein 32g64%

Vitamin D 0.4mcg2%

Calcium 90mg7%

Iron 4mg22%

Potassium 560mg12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

The Best No-Cook Way to Get Olive Oil Benefits

This risotto delivers olive oil polyphenols two ways, cooked into the base and drizzled on raw at the finish. For an easy daily dose without cooking, the Olivea Hydroxytyrosol Supplement makes getting olive polyphenols a simple everyday habit.

Olivea Hydroxytyrosol Supplement

$40.00

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Frequently Asked Questions

What seafood is best for seafood risotto?

A mix of shrimp, scallops, mussels, and calamari gives the best range of texture and brininess, but you can use any combination of fresh shellfish and firm white fish. Buy what looks freshest at the counter and keep the total quantity about the same.

What rice should I use for seafood risotto?

Arborio is the easiest short-grain rice to find and makes a reliably creamy risotto. Carnaroli or vialone nano work beautifully too and hold their bite a little longer if you can find them.

Why is my seafood risotto gummy instead of creamy?

Gummy risotto usually means the heat was too high or you stirred too aggressively. Keep the pot at a gentle simmer, add warm stock a ladle at a time, and stir every minute or two rather than constantly.

Can I make seafood risotto ahead of time?

Risotto is best served fresh, but you can cook the rice base to about 80 percent, spread it on a tray to cool, then finish it with hot stock and the seafood just before serving. This is how many restaurants handle a dinner rush.

How do I keep the seafood from overcooking?

Cook the seafood separately and fold it in only during the last couple of minutes. Shrimp and scallops need just 1 to 2 minutes per side, and mussels are done the moment they open.

What olive oil should I use for risotto?

Use a smooth, balanced extra virgin olive oil like Olivea High Phenolic to cook the soffritto and toast the rice, since it is suited to cooking heat. Finish with a bolder, peppery oil like Olivea Ultra High Phenolic drizzled on raw for fresh flavor.

Is seafood risotto gluten-free?

Yes, risotto made with rice, seafood, olive oil, wine, and stock is naturally gluten-free. Just check that your stock and wine are gluten-free, since some packaged stocks can contain additives.

Can I make seafood risotto without wine?

Yes. Replace the white wine with an equal splash of stock plus a squeeze of lemon for brightness. The wine adds acidity and depth, so the lemon helps keep that balance.

What can I serve with seafood risotto?

A simple green salad, sauteed greens, or roasted vegetables balance the richness, and crusty bread is perfect for the last spoonfuls. A crisp dry white wine rounds out the meal.