Samphire Risotto With Seared Scallops

Buttery Samphire Risotto topped with Seared Scallops makes a delicious seafood main course for a dinner party. Samphire's tender yet firm bite works well against the smooth texture of risotto, and this whole dish can be prepared in 45 minutes.

Scallops are best enjoyed between October and April, depending on your location and the variety. These meaty little shellfish have a tender, slightly sweet taste and are great at taking on other flavors.

Jump to:

• 📖 Ingredients List
• 👩🏼‍🍳 How to make risotto
• ⭐️ How to get a good sear on scallops
• 👩🏼‍🍳 Chef's Tips & Serving suggestions
• 🍷 Wine pairing for samphire risotto
• ❄️ Storage & Freezing
• 🥣 Equipment
• ❓Recipe FAQ
• 🍽 Other seafood recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

📖 Ingredients List

The ingredients for samphire risotto are fresh and simple, and quality is the key. Read my notes below for more information.

1. Butter - I always recommend using unsalted butter when cooking to control the quality and quantity of salt. Use European-style butter with a high fat content (at least 80%).
2. Shallot - Use shallot rather than onion as it has a milder, sweeter flavor profile. Dice it into small pieces around the same size as the grains of rice.
3. Garlic -You can adjust the garlic quantities to suit you, I veer towards an egregious amount.
4. Risotto rice - Arborio rice or Carnaroli rice is the best rice for risotto. Risotto rice is a short-grain rice variety with high starch levels. It can absorb a lot of liquid without disintegrating, which makes it perfect for this dish or my Spring vegetable risotto. The starch is what makes risotto creamy; an authentic risotto recipe does not usually contain any cream.
5. White Wine - A crisp Italian white wine is best, for example, a Pinot Grigio.
6. Vegetable Stock - You can also use fish or shellfish stock if you prefer.
7. Fresh scallops - I only recommend using fresh scallops, not frozen. Frozen scallops release so much water, and it makes it very hard to get a good sear or crust. I generally remove the orange, crescent-shaped roe sack from scallops (also known as the coral), but it is edible. You can cook and eat it as well if you prefer.
8. Samphire - This salt-tolerant succulent plant grows near the ocean and is often served with seafood dishes. It has a salty taste. I love serving this green marine vegetable with butter as a side dish and it tastes amazing in this samphire risotto with seared scallops.
9. Lemon: A squeeze of lemon juice just before serving will lift all the flavors and add freshness and acidity. For even more, you can grate in the lemon zest, too.
10. Salt and Cracked Black Pepper

👩🏼‍🍳 How to make risotto

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven on the stovetop until it stops crackling. Saute the diced shallot and garlic until translucent. Stir through the risotto rice and allow it to toast for a minute.
2. Pour in the white wine and simmer until it is 80% absorbed into the rice, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking.
3. Add one ladle of hot broth at a time. Continue to stir occasionally over medium heat as the rice absorbs 80% of the new liquid, before adding another ladle. Repeat until the rice is almost opaque white, and no longer translucent but still a little al dente.
4. Stir through the samphire and half a ladle of broth to cook it for another couple of minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the scallops.

⭐️ How to get a good sear on scallops

1. Bring the fresh scallops to room temperature before you cook them. But wait until the last minute to sear them so they are as fresh as possible.
2. Ensure they are completely dry, by patting them with a kitchen paper towel and sprinkle with salt to draw out any extra moisture. It is very hard to get a good sear on defrosted frozen scallops so I do not recommend using them for this reason.
3. Use a pan with good heat distribution, like a cast iron skillet or large frying pan.
4. Heat vegetable oil and/or a tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat until they glisten. Then add the scallops to the pan, making sure they are not too close to one another.
5. Sear scallops for 1-2 minutes on the first side, depending on the size of your scallops, before flipping them over.
6. Add another tablespoon of butter to the pan to finish off the other side, spooning over the butter to help, and add flavor.
7. Remove from the pan immediately so the residual heat does not overcook them, squeeze over some lemon juice, and serve on top of the samphire risotto with a lemon wedge.

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef's Tips & Serving suggestions

You may need to add slightly less or slightly more liquid. If you run out of stock, just add more hot water to your pan of broth to water it down slightly. Do not add cold water to a risotto. 

Don't over-stir the risotto. It needs to keep moving to prevent a crust from forming on the bottom of the pan, but if you manipulate it too much, it will overproduce starch and become stodgy. 

I love to serve this samphire and scallop risotto with a coral tuille garnish as it looks so fancy and really elevates the whole dish. I also serve some bread rolls on the side with seaweed butter to take that seaside vibe to the max!

🍷 Wine pairing for samphire risotto

Serve a crisp and acidic white wine with some minerality, like a Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc, e.g., a Sancerre. Alternatively, an Italian white like a Vermentino. Samphire is salty, and a risotto has a creamy texture so both need something acidic to cut through it.

❄️ Storage & Freezing

Risotto is always best enjoyed fresh, but store any leftover samphire risotto in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 3 days. Reheat gently over low-medium heat with an extra ladle of water or stock to help loosen it up again. Risotto does not freeze well.

🥣 Equipment

Make risotto in a heavy-bottomed Casserole pot or dutch oven with good heat distribution. Otherwise, the risotto can stick. Stir it with a spatula or wooden spoon. Keep the broth in a medium saucepan on the stove next to it, so you can easily ladle the liquid into the samphire risotto.

Sear scallops in a cast iron skillet for best results, you need good heat distribution.

❓Recipe FAQ

🍽 Other seafood recipes

Looking for other recipes like this easy samphire risotto with seared scallops? Try these:

📖 Recipe