Smoked Mackerel Risotto

This Smoked Mackerel Risotto with leeks and lemon is creamy, zesty & comforting. Quick & easy to prepare it would make delicious & wholesome midweek dinner.

This creamy and delicious Smoked Mackerel Risotto is always a big hit in our house.  Neither my kids nor hubby are huge fans of leeks, however in this dish, they absolutely love them. As both leeks and smoked mackerel are absolutely full of nutritional goodness, you can be sure you are feeding your family “the good stuff”.

For me risotto is an ultimate fast and comfort food in one. Even when I’m running low on things, most of the time I’m able to whip up at least a basic risotto using few simple ingredients I’ve got in my cupboards. This particular recipe requires tiny amount of planning, however ingredients are readily available and rather inexpensive too, which is always a good thing.

Ingredients

Smoked Mackerel 

You can buy smoked mackerel already filleted (plain or peppered version) in any supermarket and it really is pretty cheap in comparison to other types of oily fish out there.

You might say that 150g/5.3oz of mackerel in this risotto is not a lot but it is quite a strong fish and you don’t want it to completely overpower the leeks.  However, feel free to adjust quantity as per your liking.

Leeks

Most risotto recipes start with chopping and sweating an onion, however, I don’t believe this one will gain anything from adding one. Leek is pretty much a sweeter version of onion and there is lots of it here! Take a look below for some leek prepping tips!

Risotto Rice

Short-grain arborio* rice is the most common and widely available type of rice to use for making risotto. Short-grain rice has a high starch content which gives the final dish its lovely and creamy texture. Don’t feel like you need to spend a lot of money on branded Italian varieties as supermarket own brands arborio rice is really good and inexpensive too

Chicken/Veggie Stock

I love using homemade chicken stock in my risottos! If you are not vegetarian feel free to check out my guide on How To Make Chicken Stock in Instant Pot (with instructions for hob/stovetop users too). Alternatively, feel free to use any good chicken or veggie stock cubes (I love Kallo*)

Crème Fraîche

I like adding it here at the very end to add a bit of extra creaminess to the finished risotto but you could add a small knob of butter at the end instead.

Parmesan

Grating of parmesan will never go amiss in my opinion although some purists think that parmesan and fish combo is a huge no no. Each to their own is what I say.

If you happen to have a leftover parmesan rind, make sure you keep it in the fridge to use in stews and risottos as it adds heaps of flavour. Feel free to use one here by adding it at the same time as rice. Make sure you fish it out at the end of cooking though.

Lemon

Cuts through the richness of the fish and adds heaps of extra flavour too.

Fresh Parsley

Ultimate garnish.

How to prepare leeks

Preparing leeks can be a bit of a pain due to all the grit hiding in between the layers. The best way to sort them out is to get rid of the very top, dark green, woody part. Make sure you leave a bit of green though (closer to white part). Once you’ve done that, cut your leek in half (lengthwise) and pop it under cold tap gently opening the layers and washing out all the grit. Make sure the leek stays intact though as it will be easier to slice. Once clean, go ahead and slice each half nice and thin.

How to make Smoked Mackerel Risotto – Step-By-Step Instructions

• Prepare the leeks (take a look at tips above).

• Melt the butter in a wide, shallow pan and add all the leeks. Sautee them for 5-10 minutes until nice and soft but not coloured.

• Add the rice and mix it in making sure it is well covered in buttered leeks mixture.

• Slowly start adding your hot stock one ladle at a time stirring from time to time. Once all the liquid has been absorbed add another ladle of hot stock and continue stirring. Keep repeating the process until you’ve used up almost all the stock (but a ladleful).
• At this point your rice should be nice and creamy but still have a little bit of “bite” to it (be slightly al dente). If you think it could do with a bit more cooking add the remaining stock and continue stirring until absorbed. Taste and adjust seasoning if required.
• Once your risotto is cooked it is time to add the fish and lemon juice. Mix both in and leave the risotto on low heat for 2 minutes to heat the fish up slightly. Mix in creme fraiche and take pan off the heat.

• Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley, grating of parmesan and small lemon wedge.
• Enjoy.

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5 from 5 votes

Smoked Mackerel Risotto

This Smoked Mackerel Risotto with leeks and lemon is creamy, zesty & comforting. Quick & easy to prepare it would make delicious & wholesome midweek dinner.

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine British, Italian

Keyword smoked mackerel risotto

Equipment

• Cast Iron Shallow Round Casserole*

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 483kcal

Author Jo Allison

Ingredients

Metric - US Customary

• 300 g risotto rice arborio or any other short grain variety
• 150 g smoked mackerel flaked
• 250 g leeks thinly sliced
• 50 g unsalted butter
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1.2 l hot vegetable or chicken stock homemade or from stock cube
• 1 tbsp (heaped) crème fraîche see notes
• chopped parsley, grating of parmesan and lemon to serve see notes

Instructions

• Prepare the leeks (take a look at tips above).
• Melt the butter in a wide, shallow pan and add all the leeks. Sautee them for 5-10 minutes until nice and soft but not coloured.
• Add the rice and mix it in making sure it is well covered in buttered leeks mixture.
• Slowly start adding your hot stock one ladle at a time stirring from time to time. Once all the liquid has been absorbed add another ladle of hot stock and continue stirring. Keep repeating the process until you've used up almost all the stock (but a ladleful ).
• At this point your rice should be nice and creamy but still have a little bit of "bite" to it (be slightly al dente). If you think it could do with a bit more cooking add the remaining stock and continue stirring until absorbed. Taste and adjust seasoning if required.
• Once your risotto is cooked it is time to add the fish and lemon juice. Mix both in and leave the risotto on low heat for 2 minutes to heat the fish up slightly. Mix in creme fraiche and take pan off the heat.
• Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley, grating of parmesan and small lemon wedge.
• Enjoy.

Notes

• Nutritional information is approximate, per serving and should be treated as a guideline only.
• Feel free to use peppered smoked mackerel fillets in your risotto although I would suggest plain ones if intended for kids. 
• If you don't have creme fraiche you can add a small knob of butter to your finished risotto for that extra creaminess. 
• If you happen to have a leftover parmesan rind, make sure you keep it in the fridge to use in stews and risottos as it adds heaps of flavour. Feel free to use one here by adding it at the same time as rice. Make sure you fish it out at the end of cooking though.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Smoked Mackerel Risotto

Amount Per Serving

Calories 483 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Fat 15g23%

Saturated Fat 8g40%

Cholesterol 50mg17%

Sodium 1248mg52%

Potassium 322mg9%

Carbohydrates 72g24%

Fiber 3g12%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 14g28%

Vitamin A 2072IU41%

Vitamin C 8mg10%

Calcium 49mg5%

Iron 5mg28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Update Notes: This post was originally published on 18 March 2017 and republished in January 2020 with updated recipe card, more useful info and better layout improving user experience.

Some more recipes you might enjoy:

Asparagus & Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto

Butternut Squash and Chorizo Risotto

Fennel & Leek Risotto

Smoked Mackerel Pate with Horseradish

Smoked Mackerel Quiche with Horseradish

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