It’s been a while since I posted a savory recipe, and this is one of my favorites, so there we go! It’s quick (takes about 30mins to make), it’s easy, it requires no more than 8 ingredients, and you don’t need to feel bad after enjoying it, because it has healthy salmon and fresh green asparagus. I’ve also made this for guests before, who have really enjoyed it.

 

Risotto with baked salmon and sautéed green asparagus

(for 2 persons)

2 salmon filets (100g each)

250g fresh green asparagus

150g risotto rice

600ml vegetable broth

100ml dry white wine (I usually use Sauvignon Blanc, but a Pinot Gris works well, too)

1 shallot or small onion

50g grated parmesan cheese

1 lemon

Risotto

This is my “basic” risotto. It’s great on its own, but easily expanded, for example mushrooms (I like using dried cèpes that I soak in some water for about an hour before cooking - the water can then also be used to add more taste to the risotto), peas (just throw in two handfuls of frozen peas in when the risotto is done - not before, as it will interrupt the cooking process! - and let simmer until the peas are done), or pumpkin in the fall. The possibilities are endless! But rest assured that this basic recipe is great on its own, too!

To make the risotto, chop the onion into small cubes. In the meantime, warm up the vegetable broth - it needs to be hot (not boiling) when you add it to the risotto, so the cooking process of the rice is not interrupted. Add some olive oil or butter to a large pan and add the onion cubes. After cooking them for a bit (turn down the heat a bit so they don’t turn brown), add the dry risotto rice and sear for a couple of seconds - this is to “pop open” the grains. Deglaze with the white wine and let simmer for a bit. Gradually keep adding the hot vegetable broth with a ladle, waiting until the rice has almost soaked up the fluid before adding more. Keep stirring slowly all the time. The risotto will need about 20mins until it’s cooked. Add the grated parmesan at the end to achieve a sticky texture.

Salmon

If there is an easier way to make salmon, I haven’t found it yet! Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees (Celsius). Grease a small baking dish and put the salmon filets in. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Squeeze the juice of half the lemon over the filets and bake for 20-25mins (if the salmon was frozen, it might need a couple more minutes). Done!

Sautéed green asparagus

Wash the asparagus and break off the hard ends. The easiest way to do this is to take each end of the asparagus stick in one hand and softly bend it, this way it will break exactly to remove the hard bottom part. In a frying pan, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is warm, add the asparagus. Season with salt and squeeze the juice of the other half of the lemon over. Sautée in the pan for 2-3mins, while moving constantly. Don’t cook the asparagus for too long, you want it to have a nice bite to give a different texture to the soft risotto and tender salmon. Done!

Et voilá, in about half an hour, you have a great, satisfying meal that wasn’t too complicated to make. And since you already broke open that bottle of white wine, why not have a glass on the side? Enjoy!

PS: I apologize for the not-so-perfect pictures. I will be learning how to style food for pictures when I’m attending The Hive - European Blogging Conference in May here in Copenhagen! Click on the picture to learn more. Looking forward to meeting a lot of great bloggers there, and learn a ton of useful stuff to make my blog more awesome!