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Home » Fish » Salmon and Trout » Salmon Risotto

Salmon Risotto

By Hank Shaw on January 10, 2022 - 6 Comments

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5 from 10 votes
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This is an incredibly satisfying, yet simple recipe for salmon risotto that you can make with leftover or smoked salmon — or trout, or char — that is kicked up with a few spoonfuls of pesto.

A bowl full of salmon risotto.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

As with a lot of recipes on this site, you can make this as hard or as easy as you want.

The simplest way to make salmon risotto would be with leftover salmon and chicken broth and store-bought pesto. This makes a fine salmon risotto perfectly good for a worknight.

But I’ll walk you through some upgrades to make this dish fit for date night or a special occasion.

Before that, we have to talk rice. You need risotto rice to make risotto. Duh, right? But I get the question a lot. No, you cannot make risotto with long-grain rice, nor can you really make it well with Japanese short-grain rice. You need a short- or medium-grain rice that absorbs a lot of liquid.

The standard is Arborio rice. That will be the easiest to find and it’s fine. You may also find Carnaroli and Spanish bomba rice. Both are better. But the finest risotto rice for a salmon risotto, or any other seafood risotto, is Vialone nano. It’s smaller and just seems to play well with fish and seafood.

I use it in my Venetian fish risotto, as well as my recipes for shrimp risotto and crab risotto. You can buy Vialone nano online, but Arborio should be in your supermarket.

Once you have the rice, you’re in business.

Closeup of a bowl of salmon risotto.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Like I said, the easiest route with the fish is to use leftovers. But if you don’t have leftover salmon, smoked salmon works really well (hot-smoked salmon is what I am talking about), as does smoked trout, or you can make a bit of poached salmon and flake the meat off.

Canned salmon will work in a pinch, but personally I am not a fan.

By far the coolest method this is what I do in salmon season, is to make a salmon stock from the carcass and heads of salmon, then pick the meat out and use the stock: That makes a super salmon risotto.

As for the pesto, my favorite is to use a wintry parsley-walnut pesto or an arugula pesto. But a regular basil pesto is perfectly good. If you are a forager, I can recommend either a nettle pesto or a ramp pesto, too.

Once you’ve determined a game plan, making the actual salmon risotto is a breeze.

It’s simple: Butter, onions or shallots, a splash of Marsala or white wine or sherry, whatever stock you’ve chosen. That’s it. You add the salmon and the pesto right at the end, with another dollop of butter.

Closeup of a bowl of salmon risotto.
Print Recipe
5 from 10 votes

Salmon Risotto

I'll give you the fanciest method below, but look in the Notes at bottom for shortcuts or alternatives.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time40 mins
Total Time1 hr
Course: Appetizer, lunch, Main Course, Rice
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Gluten Free
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 688kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 1/2 cup minced shallots, or yellow onion
  • 2 cups risotto rice (see above for varieties)
  • 1/2 cup Marsala or white wine
  • 6 cups salmon stock, or low-sodium chicken stock
  • 6 ounces flaked, cooked salmon
  • 3 tablespoons pesto
  • Black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Heat the butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the minced shallots and sauté, stirring often. When the shallots are soft, add the rice and stir well. Cook, stirring often, a few minutes, then add the Marsala or white wine. Stir constantly until the liquid has mostly evaporated.
  • Start adding the stock 1 cup at a time, stirring it in well. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook this, stirring often, until the liquid has mostly been absorbed. Repeat with another cup of stock, and so on until the rice is tender, but still a little al dente. It's possible you will need another cup of liquid. If this is the case, use water.
  • Once the rice is about ready, stir in the salmon and the pesto and cook another few minutes. You want your risotto to be loose enough to serve in a bowl, not a plate, so add water if need be. Grind some pepper over it and serve.

Notes

Keep in mind this works just as well with trout or char. 

Keys to Success

  • When you add the stock or water, it needs to be at least room temperature, or warm. So if you want to speed things up a little, put all the stock in another pot and bring it to the steaming point.
  • It is the stirring that makes good risotto. No getting around it. No matter what someone may tell you, you need to stir risotto to get that starchy creaminess. Comes with the territory. 
  • As I mention above, the salmon or trout can be leftover, smoked, poached or whatever. I rarely cook salmon just for this recipe. 
  • Any pesto will do. Store-bought basil pesto is nice and easy, but if you can make it or find it, a parsley-walnut pesto goes better with the salmon. 

Nutrition

Calories: 688kcal | Carbohydrates: 93g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 337mg | Potassium: 719mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 595IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 6mg
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Filed Under: American Recipes, Featured, Fish, Pasta, Risotto, Gnocchi, Recipe, Salmon and Trout

Avatar for Hank Shaw

Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

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Comments

  1. Avatar for ChrisChris says

    January 20, 2022 at 4:46 pm

    oh, so great. I used the walnut-parsley pesto, poached a salmon fillet in the store broth. The salmon flakes really spread out the fish flavour very nicely. Grated more cheese on top and a squeeze of lemon. Very easy.

    Reply
  2. Avatar for Sam S.Sam S. says

    January 18, 2022 at 2:29 pm

    Made this last night using the walnut-parsley pesto recipe and the smoked salmon recipe (both have links included in the article), plus homemade chicken broth. It was SO good. My kids all ate seconds, which made me sad because I had no leftovers for lunch. Next time I’m doubling the recipe. Thanks Hank!

    Reply
  3. Avatar for Scott RoseScott Rose says

    January 12, 2022 at 6:44 am

    Having hunted and fished all my life, in recent years hunting/fishing alone has not been enough and I began preparing and eating. I find your recipes a good resource.

    Reply
  4. Avatar for Jack LeonardJack Leonard says

    January 10, 2022 at 5:43 am

    Hank,
    Just for your information, The Sunday Times (London) reported yesterday that Harrods sold some net-caught wild Atlantic salmon from the River Tweed at £245 a kilo last summer.
    Most of the commercial netsmen have been bought out and most Scottish rivers now have a ‘catch and release’ policy because of the drastic decline in salmon stocks.

    Reply
    • Avatar for lowandslowlowandslow says

      January 10, 2022 at 7:55 am

      We are in Ca. not the river tweed,where ever that is.

      Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      January 17, 2022 at 10:05 am

      Jack: I am surprised there is still a commercial fishery for Atlantics! As LowandSlow said, we here in the US always use either farmed or Pacific, and I ONLY use wild Pacific salmon I catch myself.

      Reply

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Hank Shaw holding a rod and reel in the American River

Hi, my name is Hank Shaw. I am a James Beard Award-winning author and chef and I focus my energies on wild foods: Foraging, fishing, hunting. I write cookbooks as well as this website, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild game, fish, or edible wild plants and mushrooms, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

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