Mary Berry Salmon Risotto Recipe

Salmon risotto is an excellent combination — the richness of the risotto is perfectly balanced by the slight oiliness and fresh flavour of the salmon, and the lemon and dill that season the salmon carry through the entire dish and give it a freshness that a plain risotto does not have.

The technique is identical to the chicken and mushroom risotto on this site — hot stock added ladle by ladle, consistent stirring, the mantecatura of cold butter and Parmesan at the end.

The salmon is cooked separately and added in the final moments so it stays in distinct, tender flakes rather than breaking down into the risotto.

This is an elegant dish that works as a dinner party main course, a special weeknight dinner, or any occasion where you want something impressive that takes thirty minutes.

Ingredients for Mary Berry Salmon Risotto

For the Risotto

• 400g salmon fillet, skin removed
• 75g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 shallots, very finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 350g arborio or carnaroli rice
• 150ml dry white wine
• 1.2 litres good quality fish or vegetable stock — kept hot in a separate pan
• 75g Parmesan, finely grated
• 25g cold unsalted butter, cubed — for the mantecatura
• Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 2 tbsp fresh dill, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper

For the Salmon

• The salmon fillet from above, cut into 3cm pieces
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and white pepper

How to Make Mary Berry Salmon Risotto

Step 1 — Cook the Salmon

Season the salmon pieces. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Cook the salmon pieces for two minutes per side until golden on the outside and just cooked through — slightly translucent at the very centre is fine as it will finish in the hot risotto. Set aside. Do not overcook — the salmon will be added back at the end and will take on more heat from the risotto.

Step 2 — Build the Risotto Base

Melt 50g of the butter with the tablespoon of olive oil in a large, deep frying pan or wide saucepan over a medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for five to six minutes until completely soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.

Step 3 — Toast the Rice

Add the arborio rice to the pan. Stir continuously for two minutes until the grains look slightly translucent at the edges and smell faintly nutty. This toasting step is important for the finished texture of the risotto.

Step 4 — Add the Wine

Pour in the white wine. Stir until completely absorbed — about two minutes. The wine should smell rounded and not sharp before the stock goes in.

Step 5 — Add the Stock Ladle by Ladle

Add the hot stock one ladle at a time — approximately 100ml per addition — stirring continuously after each. Wait until each ladle is almost fully absorbed before adding the next. This process takes 18 to 20 minutes. The risotto is ready when the rice is tender but still has a very slight bite and the consistency is loose and flowing.

Step 6 — Mantecatura and Finish

Remove from the heat. Add the cold cubed butter and Parmesan. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for one minute until the butter and cheese have emulsified into the risotto and it looks glossy and flowing.

Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and most of the dill and parsley. Season carefully with salt and white pepper.

Step 7 — Add the Salmon and Serve

Gently fold the cooked salmon pieces into the risotto — use a light hand and fold carefully to keep the salmon in recognisable flakes. The heat of the risotto will finish cooking the salmon to the perfect point.

Serve immediately in warm bowls. Scatter the remaining dill and parsley over each portion.

My Top Tips For Perfect Salmon Risotto

Keep the stock hot throughout. Cold stock shocks the rice and interrupts the cooking process. Keep the stock at a gentle simmer in a separate pan for the entire risotto-making process.

Cook the salmon separately and add at the end. Salmon cooked directly in the risotto for twenty minutes would be completely broken down. Cooking it separately in a hot pan, keeping it just cooked, and adding it at the very end gives tender, distinct flakes throughout.

The mantecatura is the step that makes it great. Cold butter and Parmesan beaten in vigorously off the heat — always off the heat — creates the glossy, flowing, emulsified texture that distinguishes a great risotto from a merely good one.

White pepper not black. Black pepper specks in a pale, elegant risotto look messy. White pepper gives clean heat invisibly.

Lemon and dill are not optional. They are the flavours that make salmon risotto specifically salmon risotto rather than a plain butter and Parmesan risotto with some fish added. Use both generously.

Serving Suggestions

As a dinner party main course — elegant, impressive, and genuinely delicious. With a simple rocket and Parmesan salad alongside. With a glass of good dry white wine — Chablis, Soave, or a good Pinot Grigio.

How to Store

In the fridge: Store for up to 2 days. Risotto thickens significantly in the fridge — reheat gently on the hob with a splash of hot stock, stirring continuously, until the right consistency is restored.

Freezing is not recommended — risotto rice becomes grainy and mushy when frozen and defrosted.

Mary Berry Salmon Risotto Recipe

Mary Berry's salmon risotto is a silky, rich risotto with tender salmon, fresh dill, and lemon — an elegant dinner that comes together in 30 minutes.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings: 4 Portions

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British

Calories: 650

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• Risotto:
• 400 g salmon fillet skin removed, cut into 3cm pieces
• 75 g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 shallots very finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves crushed
• 350 g arborio or carnaroli rice
• 150 ml dry white wine
• 1.2 litres good quality fish or vegetable stock kept hot
• 75 g Parmesan finely grated
• 25 g cold unsalted butter cubed
• Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon and juice of ½ lemon
• 2 tbsp fresh dill roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped
• Salt and white pepper
• Salmon:
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and white pepper

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Method

 

1. Season salmon pieces. Cook in hot oil in a non-stick pan — 2 minutes per side until golden and just cooked. Set aside.
2. Melt 50g butter with oil over medium heat. Cook shallots 5–6 minutes until soft. Add garlic — 1 minute.
3. Add rice — stir 2 minutes until slightly translucent. Add wine — stir until absorbed.
4. Add hot stock 1 ladle at a time, stirring and waiting for each to absorb before adding the next — 18–20 minutes total.
5. Remove from heat. Add cold butter and Parmesan — beat vigorously 1 minute until glossy. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and most of the herbs. Season with salt and white pepper.
6. Fold salmon gently through the risotto — keep in recognisable flakes. Serve immediately in warm bowls. Scatter remaining herbs over each portion.

Notes

Keep stock hot throughout — cold stock interrupts the cooking and texture.

Cook salmon separately and add at the end — keeps it in tender, distinct flakes.

The mantecatura — cold butter and Parmesan beaten in off the heat — creates the glossy, flowing texture.

White pepper not black — invisible in the bowl, no messy specks.

Lemon and dill are not optional — they define the flavour of this risotto.

Do not freeze — risotto rice becomes grainy and mushy on defrosting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use smoked salmon?

Yes — smoked salmon folded through at the end in place of or alongside the fresh salmon gives a more intensely flavoured, slightly smoky result. Do not cook it — simply fold it through with the heat of the risotto.

Can I use prawns instead of salmon?

Yes — large raw prawns cooked in the same way as the salmon and added at the end give an excellent result. Cook for two to three minutes until just pink.

Can I use long-grain rice?

No — long-grain rice does not release the starch that creates the silky, creamy texture of risotto. Arborio or carnaroli only.

Why is my risotto stodgy?

Either too much stock was added at once, the rice was overcooked, or the mantecatura was not done. Add stock gradually, taste from 16 minutes, and always finish with cold butter and Parmesan off the heat.