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Have you seen Hell’s Kitchen? It is certainly one of my favorite TV shows, and one of their most popular dishes was the Lobster Risotto! I don’t know about you, but I’ve always wanted to make it myself! If it was on your bucket list too, then Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to check it off as part of your Live to Cook! one-month challenge! While I share in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!, how recreating your favorite dishes from restaurants can inspire you to get creative, so can recreating your favorite dishes from restaurants on TV! To get started on your cooking journey just in time for Valentine’s Day (after all, homemade gifts are the best!), then be sure to sign up to my free email newsletter! In addition, you’ll get all of my latest recipes sent straight to your inbox!
A risotto can be intimidating to someone who’s new to them for sure. If you want to follow along and grasp all the concepts presented in this post, then check out the video! If you’re not already, it would mean a lot to me if you would please subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the bell button so you’re notified when all of my videos are live! Let’s get cooking!
What Lobster Do I Use for Creamy Lobster Risotto?▼
If you’re very ambitious, then you could use live lobster and cook the whole thing. However, I’ve never done this before, and I admit I’m too scared to! Perhaps one day I will do it and conquer my fear of this (very) pesky protein, which is one of the themes in my Live to Cook one-month challenge.
Do I Have to Use Wine in a Lobster Risotto?▼
Yes, you need to use wine in a risotto as it adds a special flavor profile to the risotto which would be missing if the wine was not added and replaced with broth instead. But it also is not a requirement, its a recommendation. The wine also helps to deglaze the pan in the early stages of a risotto and extract flavors off the pan from the shallots. The wine is also helpful in breaking down the starch on the rice which allows the grains to absorb the broth while cooking the risotto.
Is it necessary To Use Arborio Rice in This Creamy Seafood Risotto?▼
Arborio is the most commonly used type of rice that’s associated with a risotto but other short grain and starchy rice varieties can also be used to make a delicious risotto. Rice like Carnaroli, Vialone Nano can also be used for a risotto.
According to Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, “a grain of good risotto rice must be able to do are two essentially divergent things. It must partly dissolve to achieve the clinging, creamy texture that characterizes risotto but, at the same time, it must deliver firmness to the bite.”
Tools Needed
- Large bowl
- Strainer
- Wooden spoon
- Microplane
- Cheese grater
- Paring knife
- Chef's knife
- Cutting board
- Salt crock
- Spatula
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoon
- Pot
- Garlic press
- Slotted spoon
- Saucepan
- Stainless steel pan
- Ladle
- Bench scraper
Ingredients for Hell’s Kitchen Risotto at Home
You can scroll to the bottom of this post or press the “Jump to Recipe” button for the "FULL PRINTABLE recipe" to save the recipe for later and see all ingredient quantities. You can also scale the recipe based on how many mouths you’re looking to feed so that you know how much rice and lobster you will need!
For the Lobster Broth
- Lobster: I’m using two lobster tails. You’ll need to cook them first, and then you will use the shells in the broth. You’ll save the cooked lobster for topping the risotto.
- Carrots: Finely chop your carrots. I like to use baby carrots since these are easiest to work with - no need to peel!
- Onions: Red onions are my favorite, and they give a nice potent flavor.
- Celery: Some celery sticks will give some amazing flavor to the broth.
- Tomatoes: Freshly chopped tomatoes to add a deep red color and some sweetness to the broth.
- Garlic: A couple of chopped garlic cloves.
- Water: Add water with all of the ingredients to create the liquid of the broth.
- Bay leaf: 2 bay leaves to add a wonderful aroma to the broth.
- Salt and pepper: Always add these to taste!
For the Risotto
- Rice: Arborio rice.
- Water: Needed to cook the rice.
- White wine: I’m using dry white wine, more specifically, Pinot Grigio. While you could use any type of dry white wine, Pinot Grigio will be excellent here because it is not as sweet as Chardonnay, for instance, and it is light and versatile. You could use Sauvignon blanc as an alternative.
- Olive oil: For cooking.
- Butter: You’ll keep adding butter to add flavor and creaminess to the risotto.
- Shallots: They are wonderfully sweet with a subtle flavor. While I describe shallots as “less good onions,” in this case shallots are the authentic choice for a good seafood risotto broth.
- Broth: If you didn’t have enough lobster broth, you’ll need to add in other broth to finish the risotto. I used vegetable broth as this would be the most neutral.
- Pecorino Romano: You MUST use freshly grated cheese for best results!
- Cream cheese: A bit of full fat cream cheese to make the risotto even creamier and richer. A tablespoon will go a long way!
- Lemon: We’ll be using some freshly grated lemon zest into the risotto.
- Chives: Freshly chopped chives for garnish.
- Salt and pepper: Always add these to taste!
How to Make Hell’s Kitchen Risotto Recipe
For the Lobster Broth
Heat a large stock pot on medium heat and then add olive oil. Add the celery, onions, carrots, garlic and bay leaf to the pot. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and saute until the veggies start to become tender and become fragrant.
Add the tomatoes and lobster tails. Fill the pot with 8 Cups of water to submerge all the ingredients and bring the water up to a boil. By the time the water comes up to a boil, the lobster should be cooked.
Remove the tails as you continue to simmer the broth and transfer the tails to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.
Slice the tail in half and then remove the meat from the shell. Repeat with the other tails and then cut the meat into large cubes and set aside for later.
Return the shells from the lobster back to the stock pot and continue to simmer for 45-60 minutes.
Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve and then transfer the broth to a sauce pan to be used for the risotto later. Season with salt and pepper.
For the Risotto
Bring the broth to a very slow, steady simmer on a burner near where you’ll be cooking the risotto.
Put 1 tablespoon of butter and the olive oil in a pan and then turn on the heat to medium high. Once the butter melts, add the shallots. Cook and stir the shallots until it becomes translucent.
Add the rice and stir well until the grains are well coated with the oil. Add 1/3 Cup of dry white wine and stir well until most of the liquid is gone.
Add ½ cup of simmering broth and cook the rice, stirring constantly with a long wooden spoon, wiping the sides and bottom of the pot clean as you stir, until all the liquid is gone. You must never stop stirring and you must be sure to wipe the bottom of the pot completely clean frequently, or the rice will stick to it.
When there is no more liquid in the pot, add another ½ cup, continuing always to stir in the manner described above. Maintain heat at a lively pace.
Begin to taste the rice after 20 minutes of cooking. It is done when it is tender, but firm to the bite. As it approaches that stage, gradually reduce the amount of liquid you add, so that when it is fully cooked, it is slightly moist, but not runny.
When the rice is about 1 or 2 minutes away from being fully cooked, add the lemon zest and cream cheese. Mix well and in case you need to, add 1/2 Cup of more broth to keep the rice moist.
Add all the grated Pecorino Romano and the remaining butter. Stir constantly to melt the cheese and wrap it around the grains. Off heat, taste and correct for salt, stirring after adding salt.
Transfer to a plate quickly and garnish with more pecorino romano and freshly chopped chives.
What to Serve with Risotto?
The Hell’s Kitchen risotto is typically an appetizer. I consider it a very special appetizer to get you excited for a romantic meal! Here are some great mains that will perfectly accompany your seafood risotto:
Can I make This Risotto in Advance?▼
Please do not do that! It would not be good! I know other recipes tell you how to store and reheat it, but it just will not be as good. The rice needs to be at a certain texture, but reheating and recooking can ruin the texture.
What you can do to prepare and save yourself time before actually cooking the risotto is to cook the lobster and prepare the lobster broth in advance. I agree that it is tedious to cook the risotto itself and you really need to baby it, so if you’ve got your lobster and broth ready to go, then all that’s left is making the risotto and serving, which will not seem so daunting if this is all you’re left to do!
The Broth Is Made from the Shells, Not Poured from a Carton
Most versions of this dish start with chicken stock or a carton of seafood stock. This lobster risotto recipe uses neither. It builds its own broth first, and that is where almost all of the 90 minute cook time goes.
The sequence is worth understanding because it does two jobs at once. Celery, baby carrots, onion, garlic and 2 bay leaves soften in a stock pot, then 2 halved roma tomatoes and 2 lobster tails go in and the whole thing is covered with 8 cups of water. By the time that boiling water actually reaches a boil, the lobster is cooked. The tails come straight out into an ice bath, get split, and the lobster meat is cut into large cubes and set aside. Then the empty shells go back into the pot and simmer for another 45 to 60 minutes before the broth is strained through a fine mesh sieve.
That is the whole trick: the shells carry the lobster flavor, not the meat, so you poach the meat gently and extract the shells hard. There is no internal temperature to check anywhere in this, and no thermometer needed. You do not need a whole lobster either. Two tails are enough, and while the recipe does not specify a weight, 5 to 6 oz lobster tails are the usual size and work well. If you run short of broth at the end, vegetable broth is the listed fallback rather than anything shop-bought and fishy.
Arborio or Carnaroli, and Why You Cannot Stop Stirring
The recipe calls for 2 cups Arborio rice, which is the easiest of the risotto rices to find. Carnaroli rice is the listed alternative and many cooks consider it the best rice for the job because it holds its shape longer and is harder to overcook, so it is more forgiving if this is your first risotto. Vialone Nano is the third option. What none of them are is a long grain rice, which will not release the starch that makes this creamy.
Keep the broth at a slow steady simmer on a burner right next to you, because cold liquid hitting hot rice stalls the cooking. It goes in half a cup at a time, and each addition has to disappear before the next goes in. Stir constantly with a long wooden spoon and wipe the bottom and sides of the pan clean as you go, or the rice welds itself to the base. Start tasting at 20 minutes; it is ready when it is tender but still firm to the bite.
The finish happens in the last two minutes and off the heat. Lemon zest and 2 tbsp of cream cheese go in first, then 1/2 cup of grated pecorino romano and the remaining butter, stirred until the cheese wraps around every grain. Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano work in place of the pecorino if that is the parmesan cheese you have. Serve it immediately, garnished with more cheese and chives. It makes 2 servings, which is why it reads as a date night dish rather than a dinner party one.
Risotto does not love being kept, but if you have leftovers, seal them in an airtight container in the fridge and eat them within two days. Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of broth or water rather than in the microwave, stirring until it loosens back up.
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!
Recipe by Anadi Misra
Rich, creamy lobster risotto made with homemade lobster stock and white wine. This indulgent Italian classic delivers restaurant-quality flavor right from your own kitchen.
Stovetop
5.0 · 1 rating
20 min
Prep
1 hr 30 min
Cook
1 hr 50 min
Total
2
servings
hard
Level
Ingredients
Ingredients
Tap any quantity to scale
For the lobster broth
Instructions
For the Lobster Broth
- 1
Heat a large stock pot on medium heat and then add olive oil. Add the celery, onions, carrots, garlic and bay leaf to the pot. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and sauté until the veggies start to become tender and become fragrant.
Heat a large stock pot on medium heat and then add olive oil. Add the celery, onions, carrots, garlic and bay leaf to the pot. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and sauté until the veggies start to become tender and become fragrant.
- 2
Add the tomatoes and lobster tails. Fill the pot with 8 cups of water to submerge all the ingredients and bring the water up to a boil. By the time the water comes up to a boil, the lobster should be cooked.
Add the tomatoes and lobster tails. Fill the pot with 8 cups of water to submerge all the ingredients and bring the water up to a boil. By the time the water comes up to a boil, the lobster should be cooked.
- 3
Remove the tails as you continue to simmer the broth and transfer the tails to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.
Remove the tails as you continue to simmer the broth and transfer the tails to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.
- 4
Slice the tail in half and then remove the meat from the shell. Repeat with the other tails and then cut the meat into large cubes and set aside for later.
Slice the tail in half and then remove the meat from the shell. Repeat with the other tails and then cut the meat into large cubes and set aside for later.
- 5
Return the shells from the lobster back to the stock pot and continue to simmer for 45-60 minutes.
Return the shells from the lobster back to the stock pot and continue to simmer for 45-60 minutes.
- 6
Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve and then transfer the broth to a sauce pan to be used for the risotto later. Season with salt and pepper.
Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve and then transfer the broth to a sauce pan to be used for the risotto later. Season with salt and pepper.
For the risotto
- 1
Bring the broth to a very slow, steady simmer on a burner near where you’ll be cooking the risotto.
Bring the broth to a very slow, steady simmer on a burner near where you’ll be cooking the risotto.
- 2
Put 1 tbsp of butter and the olive oil in a pan and then turn on the heat to medium high. Once the butter melts, add the shallots. Cook and stir the shallots until it becomes translucent.
Put 1 tbsp of butter and the olive oil in a pan and then turn on the heat to medium high. Once the butter melts, add the shallots. Cook and stir the shallots until it becomes translucent.
- 3
Add the rice and stir well until the grains are well coated with the oil. Add ⅓ cup of dry white wine and stir well until most of the liquid is gone.
Add the rice and stir well until the grains are well coated with the oil. Add ⅓ cup of dry white wine and stir well until most of the liquid is gone.
- 4
Add ½ cup of simmering broth and cook the rice, stirring constantly with a long wooden spoon, wiping the sides and bottom of the pot clean as you stir, until all the liquid is gone. You must never stop stirring and you must be sure to wipe the bottom of the pot completely clean frequently, or the rice will stick to it.
Add ½ cup of simmering broth and cook the rice, stirring constantly with a long wooden spoon, wiping the sides and bottom of the pot clean as you stir, until all the liquid is gone. You must never stop stirring and you must be sure to wipe the bottom of the pot completely clean frequently, or the rice will stick to it.
- 5
When there is no more liquid in the pot, add another ½ cup, continuing always to stir in the manner described above. Maintain heat at a lively pace.
When there is no more liquid in the pot, add another ½ cup, continuing always to stir in the manner described above. Maintain heat at a lively pace.
- 6
Begin to taste the rice after 20 minutes of cooking. It is done when it is tender, but firm to the bite. As it approaches that stage, gradually reduce the amount of liquid you add, so that when it is fully cooked, it is slightly moist, but not runny.
Begin to taste the rice after 20 minutes of cooking. It is done when it is tender, but firm to the bite. As it approaches that stage, gradually reduce the amount of liquid you add, so that when it is fully cooked, it is slightly moist, but not runny.
- 7
When the rice is about 1 or 2 minutes away from being fully cooked, add the lemon zest and cream cheese. Mix well and in case you need to, add ½ cup of more broth to keep the rice moist.
When the rice is about 1 or 2 minutes away from being fully cooked, add the lemon zest and cream cheese. Mix well and in case you need to, add ½ cup of more broth to keep the rice moist.
- 8
Add all the grated Pecorino Romano and the remaining butter. Stir constantly to melt the cheese and wrap it around the grains. Off the heat, taste and correct for salt, stirring after adding salt.
Add all the grated Pecorino Romano and the remaining butter. Stir constantly to melt the cheese and wrap it around the grains. Off the heat, taste and correct for salt, stirring after adding salt.
- 9
Transfer to a plate quickly and garnish with more pecorino romano and freshly chopped chives.
Transfer to a plate quickly and garnish with more pecorino romano and freshly chopped chives.
Did you make this recipe? Tag @cooking.with.anadi on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingwithanadi
Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen
Recipe history
- April 16, 2026 — Reworked and refreshed for the 2026 relaunch — new photography, restructured and standardized ingredients & instructions.
Filed under
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