Italian restaurants · UKnearme

Risotto in the UK: what it is, how to order it, where to find it

Quick answer

Risotto is short-grain rice cooked slowly with stock added a ladle at a time, stirred until creamy, and finished with butter and Parmesan. The base is the same everywhere; the flavour changes with what goes in, from saffron risotto alla Milanese to mushroom, seafood or pea. It is a northern Italian dish, and the test of it is texture: creamy but with the grains still firm, poured onto the plate so it spreads, not stiff enough to stand up.

Calories and nutrition

Calories
520

420–650 kcal

Protein
14 g
Carbs
65 g
Fat
22 g
Salt
2.0 g

Portion: One restaurant portion, about 300 g.

Seafood risotto is leaner; a mushroom or cheese risotto with extra butter is richer.

Estimates for a typical portion, based on standard UK and USDA food composition data. Actual values depend on the recipe and the restaurant.

What risotto is

Arborio, carnaroli or vialone nano rice is toasted briefly in butter with onion, splashed with wine, then cooked with hot stock added gradually, each ladle stirred until absorbed before the next. The starch released by the stirring makes it creamy without cream. Off the heat it is beaten with cold butter and grated Parmesan, the mantecatura, which gives the final gloss. It should be all'onda, wavy: loose enough to move on the plate. Carnaroli holds its bite best and is the choice of good kitchens.

The main kinds

Risotto alla Milanese, yellow with saffron and traditionally made with bone marrow, is the classic and the partner to osso buco. Risotto ai funghi uses mushrooms, porcini for depth. Risotto ai frutti di mare has seafood and, unusually for Italy, no cheese. Risi e bisi is the Venetian pea version, looser, almost a soup. A risotto made to order takes 18 to 20 minutes, which is why some restaurants par-cook it; the best do not.

How to judge it

The grains should be distinct and firm at the centre, not mushy and not crunchy, in a loose creamy sauce that spreads when the plate is tilted. A stiff, gluey risotto that holds a dome was overcooked or made ahead and reheated. Real Parmesan and good stock are the difference between a fine risotto and a bland one.

Where it is done well in the UK

Northern Italian restaurants and the better trattorie make it to order; be prepared to wait twenty minutes, which is the sign it is fresh. Our directory lists areas with the most Italian restaurants.

How to order it

Expect to wait around twenty minutes for a risotto made properly; a quick one was pre-cooked. It should be loose and creamy, not stiff. Milanese is the classic if you have not had risotto before. Seafood risotto traditionally comes without cheese; do not ask for Parmesan on it.

Where it's done well

UK councils with the most risotto specialists, by restaurant name, in our directory.

Restaurants near you

Search by postcode or use your location to find restaurants likely to serve risotto near you.

Make it at home

Serves 2 · 35 min

Ingredients

  • 180 g carnaroli or arborio rice
  • 1 litre hot chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 50 g butter
  • 60 ml white wine
  • 50 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
  • a pinch of saffron for Milanese, optional

Method

  1. Soften the onion in half the butter without colouring. Add the rice and toast for two minutes until the edges are translucent.
  2. Add the wine and let it evaporate. Add saffron if using, dissolved in a little stock.
  3. Add hot stock a ladle at a time, stirring, letting each be absorbed before the next, for about 18 minutes until the rice is creamy but still firm.
  4. Off the heat, beat in the cold butter and Parmesan vigorously until glossy. Rest a minute and serve loose on warm plates.

Use hot stock, not cold, or you shock the rice. The final beating with butter and cheese off the heat is what makes it creamy; do not skip it.