Creamy Parmesan risotto topped with perfectly cooked roasted salmon. This is a healthy comfort food dish that you’ll love. It’s perfect for a romantic date night, or for enjoying with a small dinner party of friends.
¾cupfreshly grated Parmesan cheeseplus additional for garnishing if desired
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Prep the salmon:
Preheat the oven to 500° F.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and brush with 1 tablespoon oil. Remove the defrosted salmon from the plastic bag, and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the salmon into four pieces, about 1 to 1 & ½-inches thick. Rub the salmon all over with 2 teaspoons oil, and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed.
Cook the risotto:
Place the broth in a medium saucepot, and bring to a simmer.
Heat the butter over medium heat in a large pan. Add onion, and cook until translucent. Add Arborio rice and stir until rice looks glossy. Add white wine, bring to a simmer, and add about ¾ cup hot broth. Cook, stirring, until the rice absorbs the broth. Repeat until the rice is tender and creamy, and you have used all the broth. Remove from heat. Stir in the grated Parmesan. Stir vigorously, about 4 minutes.
Cook the salmon:
While the risotto is cooking (enlist a helper to stir for you if desired), roast the salmon. Arrange the salmon skin side down on the oiled parchment paper, spacing the pieces evenly on the sheet. Place the baking sheet with salmon in the preheated oven, and immediately turn the temperature down to 275° F. Bake until the centers of the fillets register 125 ° F (for medium-rare), about 11 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. (Check any small pieces for temperature at the halfway point; my small piece was done at that time).
Serve risotto hot, topped with roasted salmon fillet, and garnished with additional grated Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
1 pound of salmon will make 4 smaller salmon fillets for this dish, while the risotto recipe will make about 6 main dish servings. I like to keep the extra servings as leftovers. You could also roast up more salmon, simply using 2 pounds and arranging the salmon fillets with a little less space on the tray. Be sure not to crowd them too much or they won’t roast nicely.After the salmon is roasted it's easy to peel the skin off if you would like to serve it without the skin. Or, serve it with the skin on, as many people love the skin.