Risotto is a dish in which the main ingredient is rice. In Italy, rice is to the North as to the South’s pasta. Rice is served with various sauces and meats, poultry, or seafood. You can use short grain rice like the Carnaroli, Vialone, or the Italian Arborio. But some makes use of long grain rice too. Let’s try learning how to cook risotto with this seafood recipe called Mussel Risotto.

Let’s begin to learn how to cook risotto by preparing the following ingredients:

1. 2 pounds or about 2 dozen fresh mussels
2. 3 cups of white wine
3. 8 tablespoons or 1 stick butter (stick not the whole bar of butter)
4. 1 shallot, finely chopped
5. 1 small onion, finely chopped
6. 1 clove garlic, crushed
7. 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads dissolved in 2 tbsp. boiling water
8. 1 cup long grain rice
9. 3 cups broth from cooking mussels
10. 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
11. A handful fresh parsley, finely chopped

Now that you have your ingredients handy, let’s begin learning how to cook risotto with mussels with these easy steps.

1. First, prepare a very large saucepan and add in the mussels.
2. Pour the white wine into the saucepan.
3. Cook over high heat and cover the pan.
4. Let the liquid boil. Once it does, shake the pan a bit to distribute the mussels and the liquid evenly. Make sure you are holding the cover and the handle carefully.
5. Continue to cook over high heat but make sure the liquid doesn’t boil over the top.
6. Once the mussels are open, remove them using a slotted spoon and set aside.
7. Let the mussels cool and we’ll use them later on.
8. Now prepare a strainer and line it with a small piece of cloth, kitchen towel, or a couple layers of cheesecloth.
9. Align the strainer over a bowl.
10. Pour the mussels with the wine.
11. Reserve the liquid for later use.
12. Now, remove the mussels from their shells. Throw away the shells that have not opened.
13. In a flameproof casserole, melt your butter.
14. Then add in the onion, garlic, and shallots.
15. Cook over medium heat until soft but don’t brown them.
16. Add in the rice and the saffron and cook for about two to three minutes while continuously stirring.
17. Next, add the mussel broth, about a cup as you raise the heat to let the liquid boil.
18. After boiling, lower the heat and let the rice cook uncovered.
19. Let it cook for about 7 minutes or until the broth has been absorbed by the rice.
20. Check back from time to time to stir.
21. Next, add in half of the remaining broth and stir.
22. Finally, add the rest of the broth and let it cook until the liquid is almost gone, absorbed by the rice. However, make sure you leave some liquid to make your risotto creamy, depending on how you like it.
23. During the last five minutes of cooking, add your mussels to the casserole.
24. Stir and let the rice cook al dente.
25. Add in the parmesan cheese to add a salty flavor so you don’t have to add in salt. This dish is best left without pepper.
26. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.