Smoked Mackerel Risotto

Portion of risotto in a bowl with lemon wedge.

5 from 5 votes

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

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings servings

Calories 483kcal

Author Jo Allison

Equipment

Cast Iron Shallow Round Casserole*

Ingredients

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 tablespoon (heaped) crème fraîche see notes
chopped parsley, grating of parmesan and lemon to serve see notes

Metric - US Customary

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