Oven Baked Smoked Salmon Risotto

Oven Baked Smoked Salmon Risotto recipe

As a treat when I was younger we used to go to a lovely Italian restaurant in Brighton. My favourite dish, without fail, was always pasta al salmone. Faced with not enough smoked salmon to recreate this classic, I fashioned this Oven Baked Smoked Salmon Risotto, and it works very nicely thank you for asking.

Now, purists will not approve of an oven baked risotto, but I bloody love a no stir situation; it’s simple, quick and you can get on with your evening while it quietly bakes. The al salmone part comes in the form of some smoked salmon, and I barely had 100g to flavour my risotto, use more if you have it. Then comes plenty of parmesan, dill, lemon zest and some generous dollops of mascarpone, giving freshness, zing and creaminess to your one pot dream supper.

So it’s not a traditional risotto, but I’ll take simplistic deliciousness over hard work and authenticity anyday.

Not many ingredients, always a win. And as I mentioned, I only had 100g of smoked salmon, if you’ve got nearer 150g to 200g, even better. Plenty of mascarpone and parmesan are absolute musts as is the lemon zest and fresh dill for freshness.

Right, it’s an oven on at 160℃ situation then take a large oven proof dish with a lid. Tip in the rice then stir in the stock of your choice. Season with a little salt and plenty of black pepper, and if you’re like me and have a bag full of parmesan rinds in your fridge, sling one of those in too.

Put the lid on and put into the oven for 35 minutes.

While the risotto is baking, prep the add ins. Chop the smoked salmon and fresh dill, grate the parmesan and zest the lemon.

Remove the pot from the oven and remove the parmesan rind, if you’ve used one. Give the risotto a stir, and if it’s a little dry, add another 100ml to 200ml of stock to loosen it. Next, gently stir in the parmesan, dill, lemon and smoked salmon.

Finally, again gently, stir in the mascarpone. Put the lid back on and pop it back in the oven for another 5 minutes to ensure it’s piping hot.

Once it’s lovely and hot, have a tiny nibble to check for any additional seasoning, sprinkle on more fresh dill, then serve in hearty portions with some greenery of your choosing. We tend to go for unfashionable and not terribly photogenic peas.

Additional dollop of mascarpone optional, but bloody lovely.

Unless I’m showing off for guests, we only ever have oven baked risotto for supper in our house. This al salmone style one got a 10/10 from Ben, and he’s off the carbs, so compliment enough that he even ate it at all.

Lucy x

Oven Baked Smoked Salmon Risotto recipe

Serves 4, unless you’re super greedy

You will just need a large lidded casserole dish for this

300g risotto rice

1000ml to 1200ml stock of your choice, mine was a light chicken but fish or vegetable would be good too

Chunk of parmesan rind, optional, I have a fridge full of them

100g to 200g smoked salmon, chopped into inch-ish size pieces

75g grated parmesan

3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese, or soft cream cheese

2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped, plus more to garnish

Zest of a lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

A green vegetable of your choosing, to serve, peas are unfashionable, but delicious

Pre heat your oven to 160℃ and find a large oven proof dish with a lid. Tip in the risotto rice and the stock, optional parmesan rind if you have one, and salt and pepper. Stir well then pop the lid on and cook in the oven for 35 minutes.

Remove the lid and give the rice a stir, if it’s looking a little dry, pour on another 100ml to 200ml of stock and stir again. Add the smoked salmon, parmesan, dill and lemon zest, gently fold into the rice, then finally add the mascarpone, and gently stir again.

Put back in the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes to ensure it’s piping hot, taste to check for any additional salt and pepper requirements, then serve immediately, garnished with more fresh dill. And peas, or a more fashionable green of your choice.