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Risotto alla Marinara served on a plate with prawns, mussels, clams, and calamari.

Risotto alla Marinara Recipe (Italian Seafood Risotto)

Risotto alla Marinara is a creamy Italian seafood risotto made with prawns, calamari, mussels, clams, tomato, white wine, and rich seafood broth.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Soaking Time 12 hours
Total Time: 14 hours
Servings: 4
Author: Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

For the Mussels and Vongole/Clams

  • 25 large mussels
  • 25 – 30 vongole or clams
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves – halved
  • 60 ml – 2 oz. white wine

For the Prawns and Calamari

  • 12 large prawns
  • 2 calamari
  • 1 garlic clove – minced
  • 3 – 4 tbsp diced tomatoes
  • 50 ml – 1.7 oz. white wine
  • 2 tsp parsley – chopped
  • water
  • salt – to taste

For the Risotto

  • 320 g – 11.3 oz. risotto rice – Arborio, Carnaroli, or Vialone Nano can be used
  • ½ onion – minced
  • 1 garlic clove – minced
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 100 ml – 3.4 oz. white wine
  • 1 litre – 33.8 oz. broth – made with the prawn scraps and salt
  • reserved mussel and clam cooking liquid
  • 2 tsp parsley – chopped
  • salt – to taste

Instructions

For the Mussels and Vongole/Clams

  1. Clean the mussels under running water and set aside. Rinse the vongole or clams and place them in a container filled with salted water. Leave them soaking for a few hours or overnight to help any sand inside the shells come out.
  2. Place the mussels and vongole or clams in a large pan. Add the garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and white wine, then place the pan over medium heat. Cover and cook for a few minutes.
  3. Check the pan every couple of minutes and remove the shells as they open. Avoid overcooking, or the seafood will become chewy. Continue cooking until all the shells have opened, discarding any unopened ones.
  4. Remove most of the seafood from the shells, leaving a few in their shells for decoration. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve it for the risotto.

For the Prawns and Calamari

  1. Clean the calamari and cut them into rings using kitchen scissors if preferred. Clean the prawns, leaving one whole for decoration. Keep all the prawn heads and shells for the broth.
  2. Sauté the minced garlic in extra virgin olive oil for 1 minute over low heat. Don’t let the garlic brown. Mix the diced tomatoes through and cook for a couple of minutes.
  3. Add the calamari, stir well, then pour the white wine over and let the alcohol cook off.

  4. Pour in a couple of tablespoons of water and season with a pinch of salt. Cover and cook over low heat until the calamari becomes tender.

    Note: Cooking time will depend on the calamari used and may take 30 to 40 minutes. Add extra water if needed during cooking.

  5. Place the whole prawn and chopped parsley into the pot once the calamari are tender, then cook for 5 minutes.
  6. Add the cleaned prawns and cook for 1 minute. Don’t overcook them, as they’ll continue cooking in the risotto and can become chewy. Cover the pot, turn off the heat, and set it aside.
  7. Put the prawn scraps into a pot and cover with water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Let the broth simmer until reduced by one-third. Strain and reserve.

For the Risotto

  1. Combine the strained mussel and clam cooking liquid with the strained prawn broth.
  2. Pour in extra water if needed until the liquid reaches 1 litre. Let the broth simmer gently over low heat while preparing the risotto to keep it hot throughout cooking and maintain the rice temperature when added.
  3. Add the minced onion, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil to a pot and cook over low heat until soft and translucent.
  4. Add the rice, stir well, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly translucent. Pour in the white wine and let the alcohol cook off over a higher heat. Add enough hot broth to cover the rice, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
  5. Continue cooking the rice, stirring occasionally and adding hot broth little by little until fully cooked. This usually takes 18 to 20 minutes.
  6. Add all the seafood except the shellfish and whole prawn reserved for decoration after the risotto has cooked for 12 minutes. Continue cooking until the rice is ready.

  7. Stir in the chopped parsley a couple of minutes before the risotto finishes cooking, then taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Turn off the heat, stir once more, and cover for 1 minute.

    Note: Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of hot broth if needed to keep the risotto moist and all’onda, meaning wavy rather than sticky.

  8. Decorate the risotto with chopped parsley, the whole prawn, and the mussels and clams in their shells.
  9. Serve the risotto warm.

Recipe Notes

Don’t wash risotto rice before cooking, as the starch helps create the creamy texture risotto is known for.