Salmon Risotto combines creamy risotto flavored with apricot, lemon and capers with perfectly cooked salmon for an elegant yet simple meal at home.
Just because I don’t live on the coast doesn’t mean I can’t treat my family and friends to good fish. I started getting more comfortable fixing fish and shrimp at home thanks to my air fryer. I have terrific recipe for cooking salmon in the air fryer. But not everyone has an air fryer, so I decided to share a recipe for Salmon Risotto. You could cook the salmon in the air fryer before stirring it into the risotto (like I did). Or you can cook the salmon in a pan. The key to cooking fish is not overcooking it. A digital thermometer is my best friend in the kitchen. The FDA recommends cooking salmon to an internal temperature (registered in the thickest part) of 145 degrees F.
What Stock for Salmon Risotto
This is a commonly asked question. For a basic risotto I always use chicken stock. However for this Salmon Risotto I found that wine at the beginning is best. Followed by mostly water for the rest of the cooking liquid. A lot of flavor is added to this risotto. Butter, salt, garlic, white wine, apricot jam, capers, fresh dill and lemon juice. And of course the salmon. I found that broth, even vegetable broth, masks all those bright, beautiful flavors. And think about it, rice as a side dish is cooked with water. So I am saying definitively that stock should not be used in Salmon Risotto. Water is the way to go.
How to make Salmon Risotto
Cook the salmon first. Either in a pan or an air fryer. Flake it off the skin. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over it and set it aside.
Salt water and then bring it to a boil in a saucepan. Turn the heat to low to keep the water warm. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter. Add the garlic and the arborio rice and cook until the rice is lightly browned and fragrant.
Add the wine and simmer, stirring occasionally, until it is mostly evaporated. Then add the water, about a cup at a time. With each addition, stir and simmer the risotto until the water is mostly absorbed. The entire process will take about 30 minutes.
With the last addition of water, stir in the apricot jam. Then at the end stir in the capers, lemon juice, dill and cooked salmon. Taste and season with salt before serving.
Kitchen Tips
- I used flash frozen salmon in this recipe. Click THIS LINK to receive $15 off your first purchase of flash frozen fish from Wild Alaskan
- I cook my risotto in a large, non-stick sauté pan
- Use a digital meat thermometer to check the temperature of your fish
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Salmon Risotto
Ingredients
- 16 oz boneless, flash frozen salmon thawed
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 tbsp salted butter divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup dry white wine I use Sauvignon Blanc
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 2 tbsp apricot jam
- 1/4 cup capers
- 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp fresh dill finely chopped
Instructions
- Season the salmon with salt and pepper.
- Add one tablespoon of butter and the vegetable oil to a non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the salmon, skin side up. Allow the salmon to sear for 3-4 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Carefully flip the salmon and continue to cook, for 4-5 minutes, or until the salmon reaches a temperature of 145 degrees.
- Remove the salmon from the pan. Squeeze juice from half the lemon over the salmon. Allow it to cool for a bit. Flake the salmon from the skin. Set the prepared salmon aside until ready to stir it into the risotto.
- Add the water to a sauce pan and season it with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and keep the water warm.
- Melt the remaining three tablespoons of butter in a non-stick sauté pan over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and rice and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Or until the rice is starting to brown and becomes fragrant.
- Add the wine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine is mostly absorbed.
- Add the salted water, one cup at a time.
- With each addition of water, cook the rice, stirring it occasionally, until the water is mostly absorbed. With the last addition of water, stir in the apricot jam as well. The entire process will take 30 or so minutes.
- The risotto is finished when it is creamy and the rice is cooked to al dente.
- Into the warm risotto, stir in the capers, lemon juice from the remaining half of lemon, dill and cooked salmon. Taste the risotto. Add more salt if needed.
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