---
title: "Chilean Piure Risotto — Homemade Risotto de Piures Recipe"
description: "Versión en Español. Chilean risotto de piures is a creamy arborio rice risotto cooked slowly in a broth made from piures, the red Chilean sea squirt, and finished with the chopped piures, cream, Parme..."
url: https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/chilean-piure-sea-squirt-risotto-recipe/
date: 2026-09-27
modified: 2026-09-27
author: "Carlos Uhart M."
image: https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/chilean-piure-sea-squirt-risotto-featured.jpg
categories: ["Main Dishes"]
type: post
lang: en
---

# Chilean Piure Risotto — Homemade Risotto de Piures Recipe

[Versión en Español](https://comidaschilenas.com/receta-de-risotto-de-piures/)

![Creamy Chilean piure risotto topped with Parmesan, parsley, and crushed coriander seeds](https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/chilean-piure-sea-squirt-risotto-featured.jpg)*Homemade Chilean piure risotto*

Chilean risotto de piures is a creamy arborio rice risotto cooked slowly in a broth made from piures, the red Chilean sea squirt, and finished with the chopped piures, cream, Parmesan, and a touch of lemon zest. It takes 20 minutes of preparation plus 20 minutes of cooking and serves 4 people.

It is one of the most innovative dishes of contemporary Chilean seafood cooking, combining the classic technique of northern Italy with one of the most distinctive and least understood ingredients of the Chilean coast.

## How to Make Chilean Piure Risotto?

This recipe uses the traditional risotto method with arborio rice, cooked slowly while ladling in a broth made from the piures themselves. The key is controlling the broth so the risotto turns creamy and flowing, what Italians call all’onda, without overcooking the finely chopped piures that go in at the end.

## Nutritional Information

Each serving of piure risotto contains approximately 520 kcal, 66 g of carbohydrates, 20 g of fat, 15 g of protein, 3 g of fiber, 2 g of sugars, 30 mg of cholesterol, and 400 mg of sodium. These values are estimates and may vary depending on ingredients and portion sizes.

## Homemade Chilean Risotto de Piures Recipe

**Preparation:** 20 minutes
**Cooking:** 20 minutes
**Servings:** 4 people

### Ingredients

- 2 cups of arborio rice
- 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) of cream
- 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) of white wine
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 cup of cleaned piures
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 pinch of whole cumin seeds
- Fresh coriander seeds
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Parmesan cheese
- Lemon zest
- Merken (optional)
- Fine salt
- Black pepper

### Instructions

1. In a medium pot, combine the cleaned piures, half of the diced onion, one garlic clove, and a pinch of cumin seeds. Cover with 1 liter of cold water and heat over medium heat, skimming off the foam as it forms. Add the white wine, season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Strain, keeping the broth hot and the piures aside.

![Cleaned and chopped piures (Pyura chilensis) for the risotto](https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/chopped-cleaned-piures-risotto.jpg)*Cleaned Piures*

1. In a large frying pan, heat a splash of olive oil over high heat and saute the other half of the diced onion and the green bell pepper until the onion turns translucent.

![Extra virgin olive oil heating in a pan for the sofrito](https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/olive-oil-sofrito-tuna-antipasto.jpg)*Olive oil*

1. Add the other garlic clove, chopped, and the rice, and toast for 1 minute. Add the hot piure broth a ladle at a time, letting the rice absorb each addition before adding the next, until the grains are creamy and al dente.

![Short grain, high starch arborio rice, ideal for a creamy risotto](https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/arborio-rice-for-risotto.jpg)*Arborio Rice*

1. Stir in the cream, the finely chopped piures, and a pinch of lemon zest if you like. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve the piure risotto immediately, topped with crushed coriander seeds, freshly grated Parmesan, and a sprinkle of merken if you like.

## Additional Tips

### Toast the rice

After the sofrito and before adding the broth, toast the rice for 1 minute over medium heat. It seals the grain so it stays al dente inside and creamy outside.

### Boost the sea flavor

Replace half of the water for the broth with unsalted seafood stock, or cook the piures with shrimp heads and shells if you have them.

### Go easy on the salt

Piures have an intense sea flavor. Taste the broth before salting and season the risotto only once the piures are in.

| Original ingredient | Substitute | Ratio | Flavor note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Arborio rice | Carnaroli or vialone nano | 1:1 | Even creamier |
| Piures | Clams or machas | 1:1 | Milder sea flavor |
| Water for the broth | Seafood stock | Half and half | Deeper flavor |
| Cream | Butter | 100 ml : 30 g | Classic mantecatura |

## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

### 1. Which rice should I use for risotto?

Use a rice made for risotto or another short, firm, high starch rice. It gives a creamy texture, absorbs the broth easily, and holds up to constant stirring.

### 2. How do I clean piures properly?

Open the piure carefully with a knife, remove the edible red flesh inside, and discard the impurities. Rinse it several times under cold water to reduce excess iodine and remove bits of shell.

### 3. Can I use another type of rice?

Yes, carnaroli or vialone nano work well, or a local short grain rice. Long grain rice is not recommended, since it does not produce the creamy texture of risotto.

### 4. How do I keep it from being too salty?

Piures have an intense sea flavor, so do not oversalt the broth. Always taste before adjusting and hold off salting the sofrito until the piures are in.

### 5. Which wine pairs with it?

Dry white wines such as Sauvignon Blanc or an unoaked Chardonnay. A light amber beer also works for a more casual pairing.

## What Are Piures?

Piure (Pyura chilensis) is a sea squirt that grows attached to rocks along the Chilean coast. Inside its tough outer tunic is bright red flesh with an intense iodine flavor, and it is a good source of iron.

## Piures in Modern Chilean Cooking

Piures have traditionally been eaten raw with lemon, in empanadas, or with rice. Chefs and home cooks now use them in fusion dishes like this risotto, where their strong sea flavor seasons the whole pot of rice.

## Did You Know?

The word piure comes from Mapudungun, the Mapuche language, where it was called piur or piwu, and the Mapuche ate it raw, cooked, dried, or smoked throughout the year.

## Recommended

- [Chilean Piure Rice Recipe](https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/chilean-piure-sea-squirt-rice-recipe/)
- [Chilean Lemon Abalone Risotto Recipe](https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/chilean-lemon-abalone-risotto-recipe/)
- [Chilean Mote Risotto Recipe](https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/chilean-mote-risotto-wheat-berry-recipe/)
- [Chilean Piure Empanadas Recipe](https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/chilean-piure-sea-squirt-empanadas-isla-mocha-recipe/)