Smoked salmon risotto is a staple in our house during the holiday season. Every fall our dad asks, “What do we want to make for Christmas dinner?”. We come up with a unique menu, but deep down know that the week of we will pivot and make our favorite … smoked salmon risotto! Freshly caught salmon is never low in this house. And this creamy sauce brings your risotto game up a notch. Pair this dish with a Naked and Famous, and your night just got a whole lot better.

how to make smoked salmon risotto

method

To make the salmon sauce, heat a deep pan on high heat with olive oil. Saute green onions and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Add the shredded salmon and cook until it sticks to the bottom of the pan. Deglaze the salmon with sherry and season with red pepper flakes and pepper.

Turn the heat to low, and add a splash of clam juice and heavy whipping cream. Stir and repeat process until clam juice and cream are used up. Add basil leaves and stir. Set aside until risotto is cooked.

To make the risotto, heat the broth and clam juice in one pot on the stove top on low to medium heat.

Heat a large pot on medium to high heat. Saute garlic and onions in olive oil until translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Add in arborio rice and let sit for two minutes.

Add in one cube of butter, wine, and one ladle of broth. Season with a small amount of salt and pepper. Continue adding butter and broth slowly until risotto becomes and soft and creamy texture. Make sure to stir throughout the process and turn down the heat if necessary, to prevent burning.

Add the salmon sauce to the risotto. Mix until ingredients are thoroughly combined. Garnish with basil and additional red pepper flakes. Buon Appetito!

notes for smoked salmon risotto

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We use our microplane on a daily basis in our kitchen. Minced garlic is best made with a microplane, for extracting the most garlic flavor. And being Italian, we add garlic to everything! So our microplane comes in handy when we want a garlic forward flavor.