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Make this super easy no-stir Smoked Salmon Risotto in just 30 minutes! Loaded with amazing lemon, asparagus and cold smoked salmon flavor and sure to quickly become your go-to dinner party dish.
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I'm not quite sure who started the myth that you need to constantly stir a risotto - but I'm here to tell you, you really don't need to.
You shouldn't, even - because all that stirring? It might actually make your risotto worse, not better.
Why you will love this recipe
- No stirring required - well, a little bit, but not while simmering
- It's quick and done in 30 minutes
- It's loaded with amazing flavor from smoked salmon, lemon juice & asparagus
- The perfect dinner party dish - quick and easy to make, yet delicious & "fancy"
What you need to make it
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Risotto rice - I prefer carnaroli rice as the grains are more likely to stay intact, even if you stir it too much or overcook it slightly. Arborio rice is also great, but more sensitive to overcooking.
- Lemon juice really needs to be fresh squeezed'
- Butter can be swapped for olive oil
- Dry white wine - pick a nice one for the best taste. And for the perfect pairing - serve the same wine alongside it. You can also use sparkling white wine.
- Asparagus - make sure to remove the tough end part (click the link to see how I do it)
- Cold smoked salmon can be swapped for hot smoked or pan seared salmon
- Fish stock - homemade makes it even better, but usually I use a bouillon cube dissolved in boiling hot water
Can risotto be made with any rice?
No, to make risotto you need to use risotto rice. Three common kinds are carnaroli rice, arborio rice and avorio rice.
How to make Smoked Salmon Risotto
- Sauté shallots in butter for a few minutes over medium heat, until softened but not browned
- Add risotto rice and fry for a minute, until most of the butter has been absorbed
- Raise the heat to medium-high and pour in the wine
- Cook for a few minutes, until almost all of the wine has cooked off or been absorbed
- When most of the wine is gone, lower the heat to medium
- Mix in half of the lemon juice
- Cook for 1 minute, until the sauce around the rice starts to look a bit sticky
- Pour in the fish stock
- Mix and bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to keep a low simmer
- Cook for 16 minutes, without stirring but taking care that the heat is low enough so that the risotto doesn't burn
- Gently mix in the chopped asparagus, then cook for 2 more minutes
- Pour in the rest of the lemon juice
- Season with ground black pepper
- Add shredded parmesan, and mix gently
- Add smoked salmon cut in pieces
- Mix gently, taste test, then serve your smoked salmon risotto topped with some extra shredded Parmesan cheese!
Tips & tricks
- Don't stir! At least not while simmering. Stirring can cause the rice grains to break and make your risotto gluey or mushy.
- Hold the salt! Smoked salmon can be pretty salty, so hold the salt until you've tasted the final dish.
- Be brave - it's done earlier than you think! When you test it and you think it's almost done - then it's done.
- Add more stock if you need to - the amount needed depends on the type of rice you use
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container, for up to 2 days
- Do not freeze leftovers as it will end up grainy
Recipe FAQ
No! Just make sure you keep the temperature low enough that the risotto doesn't burn, and you will be fine. If you're worried about burning, go ahead and stir it - gently - a few times while cooking, but do not stir it all the time or every 30 seconds.
Stirring the risotto too much while cooking risks destroying the texture of your risotto:
1. The grains can break, which makes for a grainy risotto
2. The texture can become gluey or mushy rather than creamy
Stirring the risotto does release starches, which makes it creamy, but it's enough to stir it at the beginning (when adding the stock) and at the end (when adding seasoning and other add-ins).
If the rice grains are still hard (more than a slight hard core) then your risotto needs to simmer longer. Give it a few more minutes, and add more stock or hot water if needed.
No, you should never rinse risotto rice before cooking. We want to keep as much starch as possible for a really creamy risotto.
More no-stir risotto recipes
Looking for more quick & easy risotto recipes like this Smoked Salmon Risotto?
- Apple Risotto with Marcona Almonds
- Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto
- Mushroom Risotto with Truffle Oil
- Salmon Risotto with Leeks & Lemon
Did you love this recipe? Rate it five stars!
...and let me know what you loved about it in the comments.
Recipe
Smoked Salmon Risotto with Asparagus & Lemon
Print RateIngredients
- 2 tablespoon butter salted or unsalted
- 1 large shallot finely chopped
- ¾ cup Carnaroli rice or other risotto rice
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 4 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice divided
- 1.75 cup fish stock
- 10 asparagus tough end removed, chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅔ cup shredded Parmesan cheese + extra to serve (optional)
- ⅓ lb cold smoked salmon cut in bite-size pieces
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat, then add chopped shallots and sauté 1-2 minutes, until softened but not browned.2 tablespoon butter, 1 large shallot
- Add Carnaroli rice and mix well, fry for a minute, until almost all the butter has been absorbed.¾ cup Carnaroli rice
- Raise the heat to medium-high and pour in the wine. Cook for a few minutes, until almost all the wine is gone.¾ cup dry white wine
- Lower the heat to medium, pour in half of the lemon juice and cook for 1 minute, until the sauce around the rice starts to look a bit sticky.4 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- Pour in fish stock, mix, and bring everything to a simmer. Then lower the heat to keep a very slow simmer, and cook for 16 minutes, without stirring.1.75 cup fish stock
- After 16 minutes, mix in the chopped asparagus. Then cook 2 more minutes, until the risotto is done.10 asparagus
- When the risotto is done, season with the rest of the lemon juice and grund black pepper. Then mix in shredded Parmesan cheese and cold smoked salmon.4 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ⅔ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, ⅓ lb cold smoked salmon
- Serve topped with some shredded Parmesan cheese.⅔ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Equipment needed for this recipe
- Measuring cups (metric or US)*
Video
Notes
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Risotto rice - you can swap carnaroli rice for another type of risotto rice
- White wine - pick a nice one for the best taste
- Asparagus - make sure to remove the tough end part
- Cold smoked salmon can be swapped for hot smoked or pan seared salmon
Tips & tricks
- Don't stir! At least not while simmering, for the best texture
- Hold the salt! Smoked salmon is salty, so hold the salt until you've tasted the final dish.
- Be brave - it's done earlier than you think! When you test it and you think it's almost done - then it's done.
- Add more stock if you need to - the amount needed depends on the type of rice you use
- Simmer longer if you need to if the rice is not done (with just a small hard core)
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container, for up to 2 days
- Do not freeze leftovers as it will end up grainy
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
Kate
This is the most delicious and easiest risotto recipe I've tried and I've tried quite a few . 🙂 Thank you!!! Bookmarked and shared for repeat use
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Kate! Happy you liked it, thanks for sharing! /Emmeline
Cathleen
Can you believe that I have never made risotto? Heck, I've never even tried it! Bookmarking this to make later, thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
Emmeline Kemperyd
What?? You must try! I promise you will be make it over and over once you try it - so fun to play around and test different seasonings.
Nathan
I'll take just about ANY excuse to eat some smoked salmon, and this recipe looks so tasty!
Emmeline Kemperyd
Haha - same here, Nathan!
Kathryn Donangelo
Risotto and smoked salmon is such a great combo!! This dish is so hearty and super easy to make. We all loved this and can't wait to make this again soon! 🙂
Beth
This looks so delicious and tasty! I can't wait to give this a try! My family is going to love this!
Emily
I've honestly never cooked with smoked salmon, but I love risotto. I need to give this recipe a try!