Salmon Risotto ~ Parsley Walnut Pesto

Salmon Risotto

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup minced shallots, or yellow onion
2 cups risotto rice (see above for varieties)
1/2 cup Marsala or white wine
6 cups salmon stock, or low-sodium chicken stock
6 ounces flaked, cooked salmon
3 tablespoons pesto
Black pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat the butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the minced shallots and sauté, stirring often. When the shallots are soft, add the rice and stir well. Cook, stirring often, a few minutes, then add the Marsala or white wine. Stir constantly until the liquid has mostly evaporated. 

Start adding the stock 1 cup at a time, stirring it in well. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook this, stirring often, until the liquid has mostly been absorbed. Repeat with another cup of stock, and so on until the rice is tender, but still a little al dente. It's possible you will need another cup of liquid. If this is the case, use water. 

Once the rice is about ready, stir in the salmon and the pesto and cook another few minutes. You want your risotto to be loose enough to serve in a bowl, not a plate, so add water if need be. Grind some pepper over it and serve.  Serves 4

Notes
Keep in mind this works just as well with trout or char.
Keys to Success  When you add the stock or water, it needs to be at least room temperature, or warm. So if you want to speed things up a little, put all the stock in another pot and bring it to the steaming point.
It is the stirring that makes good risotto. No getting around it. No matter what someone may tell you, you need to stir risotto to get that starchy creaminess. Comes with the territory. 

As I mention above, the salmon or trout can be leftover, smoked, poached or whatever. I rarely cook salmon just for this recipe.
Any pesto will do. Store-bought basil pesto is nice and easy, but if you can make it or find it, a parsley-walnut pesto goes better with the salmon.

Parsley Walnut Pesto

Ingredients:

3/4 cup walnuts, pecans or pine nuts
1 cup chopped parsley, tightly packed

1/2 cup finely grated pecorino or Parmigiano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 garlic cloves, chopped
Black pepper to taste

Directions:

Put all the ingredients except for the oil into a large mortar and grind to a stiff paste. Once everything is pretty well ground, drizzle in about a quarter of the olive oil and grind it into the pesto. Repeat with another quarter of the oil and then another, until you have incorporated all the oil into the pesto.

Alternately, you can put everything but the oil into the bowl of a food processor. Buzz the mixture while slowly drizzling in the oil. The more oil you use, the more like a sauce and less like a condiment your pesto will be. 

When the pesto is coming together, taste for salt, and add if needed. Serve your parsley pesto right away, or put in a covered container with plastic wrap set down right on the top of the pesto to keep out air. This help keeps the color nice and bright. Use within a couple days, or freeze for up to 6 months.  10 Servings