Risotto al Limone Recipe | Epicurious

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Risotto with lemon and basil in a white dish.

Photo by Gentl & Hyers, Prop Styling by Ayesha Patel, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich

Meyer lemons with a few basil leaves perfume the rice. Vibrant extra-virgin olive oil, instead of butter, adds the finishing touch to this lemon risotto. You’ll notice that there’s no chicken stock in this recipe—cooking the rice with water instead allows the lemon flavor to really shine through.

Recipe notes

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Originally called omelette à la neige (snow omelet) in reference to the fluffy snow-like appearance of the meringue, île flottante (floating island) has a lengthy history that dates back to the 17th century.