Crisp yet tender Seared Salmon with Shallot and Gruyere Risotto makes for the best dinner plans. The creamy and cheesy risotto is topped with roasted broccolini and seared salmon filets for a mouth watering combination of flavors. It’s rich and delicious yet healthy and lightened up for the seasonal spring and summer cravings!

While this recipe does have a few extra steps with making homemade risotto, it’s 100% worth it. Nothing beats fresh homemade cooking and especially when it comes to this salmon risotto recipe!

And if you’re craving light and fresh meals this spring, check out my Whole30 Salmon with Spring Pea and Lemon Cream Sauce. The seared salmon is served over a lemon cream sauce bursting with fresh flavor from spring peas, garlic, shallots, and lemon zest. A light and healthy meal that’s also delicious!

Seared salmon filets are in a skillet next to a pot of fresh made gruyere risotto. There are plates with fresh sliced lemons, roasted broccolini, basil, rice, gruyere cheese, and space sitting around the pans.

Ingredients

Butter – Adds flavor to the sauteed shallots and makes for an extra creamy risotto base.

Shallots – Gives a slight onion flavor and aroma without being overpowering.

Arborio Rice – A type of short grain rice used to make risotto!

White Wine – Adds a depth of flavor to the salmon risotto. Can be subbed for white wine vinegar or lemon juice if needed.

Chicken Broth – Adds flavor and moisture to the arborio rice as it cooks and expands.

Gruyere – A salty and creamy cheese that blends perfectly with this salmon risotto recipe.

Basil Chiffonade – This is when you have basil leaves stacked on top of each other then cut across the width of the leaves. It releases the flavor of the leaves while remaining a larger size.

Broccolini – Tender and takes on the flavors of this gruyere cheese risotto, broccolini tends to be softer than regular broccoli.

Salmon Filets – I suggest finding high quality salmon if possible for best flavor and freshness.

Seared Salmon with Shallot and Gruyere Risotto fill a large pot. There's roasted broccolini on top of the risotto and beside the salmon filets. Plates with lemon slices, rice, and basil surround the pot as well as spice shakers and glasses of wine.

How to Make Gruyere Cheese Risotto

Preheat Hybrid Pot on low and then adjust to medium, let it get hot then add butter. Once melted, add shallots and cook until clear (2-3 minutes). Add arborio rice and stir to coat all grains of rice with butter and shallots. Add white wine* and salt. Stir continuously until wine has been almost all absorbed by rice.
Add a ladle full of warmed broth to the rice and continue stirring until almost all absorbed by rice**. Repeat process with the rest of the broth until the rice is al dente*** (firm, not soft or soggy). Stir in gruyere until melted. Set aside.

How to Sear Salmon

Dry the salmon filets with a paper towel then season the filet side with kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest.
Return the Sidekick Skillet to medium heat and add olive oil. Add salmon filets to the Sidekick Skillet (presentation side down) and cook for 5-6 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes. Set aside and begin to assemble the salon risotto dish.

Healthy risotto with seared salmon and roasted broccolini are kept warm in a Proclamation Goods hybrid pot. There are plates with fresh lemon slices, lemons, rice, basil, cheese, and spice surrounding the pot. Salt and pepper shakers sit beside a glass of wine above the pot.

What is Risotto?

If you’re a fan of risotto but don’t know what the heck it is, I’ve got you covered.

It’s an Italian rice dish cooked with broth and more often than not, butter, wine, and perhaps a cheese. The trick with risotto is to slightly saute the rice before cooking it in the broth mixture. This results in a creamy and rich dish with amazing texture!

You can top risotto with quite literally anything you’d like. This salmon risotto could also be made with chicken, scallops, tofu, or simply vegetables and toasted nuts!

A close up of seared salmon filets and roasted broccolini overtop gruyere risotto. There lemon slices, black pepper, and red pepper flakes in the background.

Vegan Risotto

While this salmon risotto recipe is certainly not vegan, you can make some simple substitutions to make it so. To start out, swap vegan butter for traditional butter and vegetable broth for chicken broth. After that, you’d want to sub a vegan cheese for the gruyere but please keep in mind, this will change the texture and flavor!

The only other thing to change would be the seared salmon. Either substitute with roasted tofu or just serve the risotto plain with vegetables and maybe some toasted nuts.

I haven’t personally tried any of these modifications so you may need to play around with measurements to get the right texture. Comment below if you do though so others can try it too!

How to Store Salmon Risotto

As with any seafood dish, I always recommend storing the seafood (in this case salmon) separate from the rest. This keeps the flavors from melding in a not so tasty way plus makes reheating everything easier. The seared salmon can go in one container while the risotto and broccolini go in another.

To reheat, simple pan sear the salmon and broccolini for a few minutes until warm but not dried out. Use a separate pot for the risotto and try stirring in an additional 1/2 cup of water or broth to add moisture as it reheats.

If you’re looking for more seared salmon deliciousness, check out my Salmon with Cream Sauce recipe that can be served over roasted potatoes, pasta, or simply as is. The dairy free cream sauce is cooked with browned onions, sautéed mushrooms, and spinach to pair with the crisp sear of tender salmon. I love this for a quick and healthy meal!

If you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you, and it also helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST Salmon Risotto 🙂