Hot smoked salmon or trout risotto with British asparagus
A lovely light recipe and unlike most risottos, it doesn’t need piles of butter and cheese to add extra flavour to it. Remember to keep stirring it (the Spon will do a great job for you here) as this helps to release the starch from the rice grains, which is how you get the lovely creamy texture. The British asparagus season is short, so make the most of it while it lasts!
Author: Kirsty
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 225g risotto rice
- 125ml dry white wine
- 500-600ml stock
- (fish, chicken or vegetable)
- 1x large shallot
- 6 fat or 12 slim
- asparagus spears
- 150g hot smoked
- salmon or trout
- 50g grated parmesan
- salt and pepper
Method
- Heat the stock gently in a pan.
- Bend the asparagus at the bottom to snap off the woody part of the stem.
- Discard this bit and chop the rest into 2cm chunks.
- Flake the hot smoked salmon or trout onto a plate.
- Chop the shallot very finely.
- Find a large pan with a good fitting lid.
- Heat the olive oil on a medium heat and cook the shallot for 3-4mins until soft.
- Add the rice and stir for 2 mins to coat the grains then tip in the wine; bring it to the boil, turn the heat down low and stir it until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Add a ladle of hot stock, reduce the liquid again and continue to do this for about 15mins until the rice is quite thick and creamy – taste the rice, it should still have a some bite to it.
- If your asparagus is fat, add it after 13 mins of cooking the rice.
- If it is thin, add it after 15 mins along with the flaked fish.
- The asparagus should be lightly cooked so it still has plenty of crunch and bite, in contrast to the rest of the finished dish.
- Cook for a further 2-3 mins then stir in the parmesan.
- At this point taste it again and season with salt and pepper.
- Switch the heat off, put the lid on the pan and leave for another 2 mins to rest then serve.
