Saffron risotto with salmon and zucchini
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients
for the salmon and zucchini:
- 1 small zucchini
- 2 salmon fillets about 11oz/300g
- 1 teaspoon French or Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons frying oil
- salt and black pepper to taste
for the saffron risotto:
- 1 tablespoon frying oil
- 2 small shallots or 1 small onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup risotto rice 100g
- ¼ cup dry white wine 60 ml
- 3 cups vegetable broth 720 ml
- a pinch of saffron
- 2 heaped tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese or pecorino
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare all the ingredients:
- Pat the salmon dry with paper towels, season with herbs, salt, and pepper on all sides.
- Cut the zucchini into thick slices.
- Finely chop shallots and garlic.
Cook the risotto:
- Add the saffron and broth into a medium pot and heat until very hot, then leave it on the burner over low heat to keep it hot.
- Heat the oil in a medium/large pot, add the shallots, cook over low heat for about 2-3 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the rice and cook over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes. All rice grains should be coated in oil and their edges should be slightly translucent.
- Add the wine, cook until it’s almost evaporated.
- Add the first portion of the broth - about 1/4-1/3 cup. All the rice grains should be covered with broth, make sure there are none left on the sides of the pot. Let the rice cook in the broth without stirring. When it starts to cook a little bit dry, start stirring constantly until almost all the liquid is evaporated. Add the next portion of broth and cook the rice as described until the rice is cooked through but still has a little bit of bite to it (is cooked al dente). The whole process of adding broth and stirring can last about 20-25 minutes. You can use more or less broth than I did, it all depends on the burner’s heat.
- Add the Parmesan cheese, stir until combined and melted. Take the pot off the heat and season your risotto with salt and pepper to taste.
- The risotto should be creamy - it shouldn’t be too runny but it also can’t be too thick. If you run your spatula through the risotto, it should flow slowly to fill in the space.
Cook the zucchini and salmon:
- While the risotto is cooking - grill the salmon and zucchini on the grill pan (you can also cook them in a regular pan).
- Season the zucchini with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat and grill the zucchini slices for about 2 minutes on each side until browned. Don't overcook the zucchini, it should be still crunchy.
- Heat another tablespoon of oil, cook the salmon over medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side, until the fish is cooked through (to your preferred doneness).
- Serve the salmon with risotto and zucchini.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Instead of salmon, you can use any other fish, also white-fleshed fish like cod or halibut.
- Saffron - there is no substitute for this spice, it has a pretty unique flavor, but you can just omit it to make a simple parmesan risotto if you don't have it on hand. If you want just bright yellow color for your risotto, you can add a pinch of turmeric.
- Wine - If you don’t have wine on hand or you don’t cook with wine, you can easily substitute it with broth or a small amount of lemon juice to taste.
- Storing and reheating: Risotto reheats very well. It will be thicker so add a splash of broth or water to dilute it. Keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can also freeze it for up to 6 months.
- Tips for the best risotto:
- Keep your broth hot all the time while the risotto is cooking. Adding cold broth to the pot will result in a longer cooking time, as the broth will need to be brought to a boil each time.
- Serve your risotto on warm plates. The best risotto should flow off the spoon like a wave, when it gets cold, it loses this consistency. It’s best to serve it straight from the pot and transfer it to warm plates. You can warm your plates in the oven – just keep them a few minutes in the oven preheated to 210°F/100°C.
- Don’t overcook your risotto, the rice grains should still have a bite to them!
- Stir the risotto often, but not too oft (it will cool the rice), and make sure it doesn’t stick to the pot.
- Don’t add too much broth at once – 1/4 cup to 1/3 is perfect.
- Calories = 1 serving (1/2 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
Nutrition
Calories: 702kcal