INGREDIENTS
- 2 salmon fillets – whole
- 1 small onion – diced
- 1 garlic clove – crushed
- asparagus – 125g
- chesnut or button mushrooms – 120g, sliced
- Arborio risotto rice – 250g
- Chicken or vegetable stock – about a litre
- white wine – 1/2 cup
- sprig rosemary – leaves, chopped finely
- a few Basil leaves
- parmesan – 1 cup, finely grated
- olive oil – 1 tablespoon, plus some more for drizzling
- salt and pepper – for seasoning
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat and fry the garlic and onion for about 10 minutes until the onion is nice and soft. You can use butter instead if you are feeling indulgent.
- Meanwhile, make the chicken or vegetable stock in a small saucepan, according to the instructions on the packet . Put this on a low heat.
- Add the mushroom to the risotto and continue frying for a couple of minutes until they have started to soften.
- Pour in the rice and stir it around. Add the wine and continue stirring until absorbed. Throw in the chopped rosemary leaves.
- Add a ladle of stock to the rice and again stir until absorbed. Continue to add more stock as the rice absorbs the liquid. Keep stirring it regularly.
- Pre heat the grill to prepare for the salmon fillets.
- While the risotto is cooking (remember to keep adding stock and to keep stirring as often as you can) , you can cook your asparagus. You will add this to the rice when it is nearly cooked, so it will be warmed up again later. Put a grill pan on a high heat and drizzle the asparagus with some olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and fry for around 5 minutes until you can slice through it easily. You don’t want it to be too crunchy, but you don’t want it to be soft and overcooked. Keep to one side.
- Now you need to cook the salmon fillets. I use the grill to cook salmon because otherwise the flat smells of fish for a week. Feel free to fry it if you prefer. Drizzle the salmon with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the salmon on some foil and place under the pre-heated grill for around 7-8 minutes, depending on how thick the fillets are.
- By the time the salmon is cooked your risotto should be nearly ready. Throw in the asparagus and keep stirring/adding stock until the grains of rice are soft but still have a tiny bit of bite to them. Add a little bit of extra stock at the end just to make sure it has enough liquid. It should be gooey and oozing, not dry and stodgy.
- Add 2/3 of the parmesan to the rice and stir it all in until melted.
- Season with freshly ground black pepper. You probably wont need salt, but add some if you want to.
- Serve in large bowls with the salmon fillet perched on top. Sprinkle over some parmesan and a few basil leaves.
Credits to: from-our-kitchen.com
