Italy offers extensive gastronomy throughout its territories: from the Italian Alps and the regions of Veneto, Lombardy, and Piedmont, to the regions of Calabria, Sicily and Apulia, without forgetting Sardinia, this country offers us an endless number of varied dishes, where the most outstanding and well-known are its famous pasta, a culinary symbol of the country of Leonardo Da Vinci, Giuseppe Verdi, Michelangelo or Galileo Galilei.
In Northern Italy, dishes such as risotto are very typical.
Risotto is a rice dish cooked with broth until it reaches a creamy consistency. The broth can be derived from meat, fish, or vegetables; and it is usually prepared or accompanied by some meat (beef, chicken, seafood, or fish), white wine, mushrooms, cheeses, vegetables, and olive oil, among others.
Today you will learn how to make a delicious Italian risotto al salmone or salmon risotto that I assure you will love. We will also give you some tips to make the best risotto of your whole life and you will learn about the different varieties of risotto that exist.
If you love curry and baked salmon, you can try to make this salmon risotto recipe that Rice Select® has for you!
È ora di mangiare!
Some things you have to know about risotto
What types of rice are recommended to make a delicious risotto?
To prepare a risotto, a round white rice of medium size or short grain with high starch content (amylopectin) and low in amylose is the ideal ingredient.
These types of rice can absorb liquids and release starch, making them stickier than long-grain varieties.
The main varieties used in Italy to prepare this dish are Arborio, Baldo, Carnaroli, Maratelli, Padano, Roma, and Vialone Nano. However, Carnaroli, Maratelli, and Vialone Nano rice are preferred over the previous ones, although they are more expensive.
For example, Carnaroli is less likely to cook longer than Vialone Nano, but the latter, being smaller, cooks faster and absorbs seasonings better. It is possible to use other varieties of rice such as Baldo, Originario, Ribe, and Roma, although you would not have the creaminess of the traditional dish.
The big menu of risotto recipes
Although the ingredients and the way risotto is prepared can make the number of types of risotto countless, some deep-rooted recipes have endured over time and are part of the authentic Italian recipe book. Some of them are:
- Risotto Alla Milanese: this is a specialty of the city of Milan. This risotto is made with beef stock, beef bone marrow, lard (instead of butter), and cheese. Saffron is used to add flavor and color to the rice.
- Risotto Alla Zucca: this risotto is made with pumpkin, nutmeg, and grated cheese.
- Risotto al Nero di Seppia: it is typical of Veneto. It is made with cuttlefish cooked with their ink-sacs intact, which gives a black color to the risotto.
- Risotto Alla Pilota: typical of the Mantua region. It’s made with sausage, pork, and Parmesan cheese.
- Risotto ai Frutti di Mare: a risotto made with seafood. It is very common in coastal areas due to the required freshness of the seafood when cooking.
A finger-licking recipe for salmon risotto
Ingredients
- 2 fresh salmon supremes.
- 1 1/2 pounds of rice.
- 1/2 pounds of fresh spinach.
- 3 oz of brie cheese.
- 50 fl. oz of fish broth .
- 1 leek.
- 1 tablet of marinade
- 4 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil.
- 1 pinch of white pepper.
- 1 pinch of fresh ginger.
- 1 pinch of turmeric.
- 1 clove garlic.
- Dice the salmon supremes and sauté them briefly in a frying pan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
- Finely chop the garlic and leeks and cook them in a pan with two tablespoons of olive oil. When they take color, add the spinach and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the rice and the fish stock, stir and add the ginger and turmeric.
- Brown the diced salmon seasoned with 1 fish marinade cube. Cook the rice for about 20 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the heat, add the brie cheese and stir to make it creamy. Add the salmon and stir gently.
