Salmon, fennel and pea risotto

Ingredients

• 750ml/1 pint 6fl oz hot fish or vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• ½ fennel bulb (or 1 small bulb), trimmed and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 225g/8oz arborio or risotto rice
• 300ml/10fl oz dry white wine
• 150g/5½oz frozen petits pois
• ½ lemon, juice only
• 2 x 150g/5½oz salmon fillets, skinned and thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp full-fat crème fraîche
• 3 sprigs fresh tarragon, coarsely chopped
• 30g/1oz Parmesan, grated, plus extra for sprinkling
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 50g/2oz pea shoots, to ganish

Method

1. Pour the stock into a saucepan and keep warm over a low heat.

2. Pour the oil into a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the fennel and fry for about 4 minutes, or until softened, but not browned, stirring often. Add the garlic and rice and fry for a minute, stirring constantly, until the grains of rice are coated in the oil.

3. Pour the wine into the stock, stir and bring to a gentle simmer. Add a ladleful of the hot stock mixture to the rice and simmer, stirring continuously. Wait until the stock is almost fully absorbed before adding the next ladleful. Continue to add the stock, a ladleful at a time, and cook the risotto for 15–20 minutes, or until you are left with about 250ml/9fl oz stock in the saucepan and the rice is nearly cooked.

4. Add the petits pois and lemon juice. Ladle in some of the remaining stock and keep stirring for a couple of minutes. Add the salmon slices, crème fraîche, tarragon and Parmesan. Stir and continue to cook until the salmon is done to your liking.

5. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately, sprinkled with extra parmesan and garnished with pea shoots.

Tips

It is important to add the stock when it is hot. If you add cold stock the mixture will take too long to boil and the rice will be overcooked.

It is important to serve risotto as soon as it is cooked, as it doesn’t keep well on the heat – it becomes soggy.