Smoked Haddock and Spinach Risotto

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This smoked haddock and spinach risotto is an easy healthy one-pan meal. The combination of creamy rice, haddock and leafy greens makes this smoked fish risotto a filling and nutritious dinner.

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What you'll love about the recipe
Ingredients
How to make smoked haddock and spinach risotto
Recipe tips
Serving and storage
Frequently asked questions
Other healthy fish recipes
Recipe
Comments

What you'll love about the recipe

A delicious easy smoked fish risotto which is ready to eat in 40 minutes
A simple one-pot dinner with protein and veggies
A easy way to add more fish to your diet
Smoked haddock and spinach risotto is gluten free and dairy free
Tasty and delicious, this creamy smoked fish risotto is healthy comfort food!

Ingredients

Smoked haddock, olive oil, spinach, rice, lemon, stock cube, onions, garlic.

Smoked haddock. You can use either fresh or frozen smoked haddock. It's easy to remove the skin once the fish is cooked, but it's best to remove the bones first. Frozen smoked haddock needs to be defrosted.

If you like smoked fish, you might also enjoy this quick kipper pate recipe.

Onions. If you prefer, you can also use leek in the recipe.

Short-grained rice. This starchy rice will cook down to the delicious creamy texture that you need in a risotto. You can use risotto rice such as Arborio or Carnaroli, but I often use pudding rice as it's much cheaper. If you can get it, use brown short grain rice as it will be healthier! Long grain rice is not suitable for a risotto (but you can make a delicious pilau instead!)

Spinach. Fresh spinach adds a lovely green freshness to this smoked haddock risotto.

Chicken stock/stock cube. You could also use vegetable stock or fish stock if you prefer. I like to use a stock cube to make this risotto as it makes it very easy. You can just crumble the stock cube into the pan and add boiling water to the recipe. It saves having to use a second pan to heat the stock:)

Garlic and lemon add extra flavour but are optional.

Olive oil, or another healthy oil for frying.

How to make smoked haddock and spinach risotto

Heat a large lidded pan on a medium heat and add the olive oil. Fry the chopped onions for 5 minutes until starting to brown. Stir in the garlic.

Place the fish on top of the onions. Add the lemon slices and 150ml boiling water. Cover with a lid and simmer very gently for about 8 minutes until the fish is cooked. If your fish fillets are very thick they may need a slightly longer cooking time. The cooked fish will flake easily and lose its translucent appearance.

Remove the cooked fish (but not the onions) from the pan. Remove and discard the skin and set the cooked fish aside.

Add the rice to the pan, and stir over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Crumble in the stock cube. Add about 100ml boiling water from the kettle. Continue to stir regularly and cook the rice for about 5 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Then add another ladleful of boiling water and repeat the process until the rice is cooked. It should take about 20 minutes in total.

Remove from the heat and stir the spinach into the risotto - it will cook in the residual heat.

Flake in the fish and mix together gently.

Recipe tips

If you like, add a glass of white wine in place of the first 100ml of stock
If necessary, adjust the quantities of boiling water slightly - you don't want the rice to burn dry on the pan, and neither do you want it to be awash
If you want to use fresh stock rather than a stock cube, heat the stock in a pan as it'll need to be hot when it's added to the rice
Risotto rice is usually cooked until it is al dente. Al dente literally means 'to the tooth' in Italian, so the rice has a slight bite to it. But cook the rice as you prefer it:)

Risotto with smoked haddock and spinach.

Serving and storage

Serve your smoked haddock and spinach risotto piping hot with a big helping of salad on the side.

If you've got any leftover risotto, cool it quickly and store it in the fridge. Reheat smoked fish risotto on the stove over a low heat with a couple of tablespoons of stock.

Frequently asked questions

Is smoked haddock already cooked?

No, smoked haddock is not already cooked, and raw smoked haddock will be very unpleasant! Unlike some other smoked fish such as salmon, the haddock is just briefly cured and cold smoked and is not fully cooked during the process. The smoked haddock therefore needs to be cooked before it is added to the risotto.

Can smoked haddock be poached in water?

Yes, smoked haddock can be poached in water. Sometimes it is poached in milk which can add a little sweetness, but that's not necessary in this smoked haddock and spinach risotto. There's natural sweetness from the onions and plenty of flavour from the stock.

Is smoked haddock healthy?

Yes, haddock is a good source of protein and is rich in essential vitamins and minerals. It's also low in fat and low in calories. Haddock also contains omega fatty acids, although not as much as oily fish such as mackerel and salmon. Smoked fish is relatively high in sodium, so if you are on a salt-reduced diet, it's important to watch your intake of smoked fish.

Other healthy fish recipes

Why not try some of these other easy, healthy fish dishes?

You might also like this easy leek and pea risotto.

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