Japanese Style Risotto with Crispy Salmon

This incredible Japanese Style Risotto comes with perfectly pan-seared salmon, making it a complete meal and a completely addictive combination, all around. Ginger, garlic, scallions, miso, and mirin (a sweet, low-alcohol Japanese rice wine) help to build great flavor in this Japanese spin on a classic Italian risotto. The mushrooms pack a powerful umami punch, making this one satisfying plate. Grab the latest MKL recipe for what is truthfully the best risotto I’ve ever had.

What makes this “Japanese style?”

Risotto, a classically Italian dish, actually maintains a degree of popularity in Japan, thanks to the country’s huge rice culture. It makes sense, too, as sushi rice’s high starch content makes it a great substitution for the traditional Arborio. By simply swapping some classic Japanese flavors and ingredients in for the traditional Italian items, we can build a risotto that walks the line between two beautiful and distinctive food cultures.

Japanese Ingredient Swaps

1. Miso.
2. Ginger + Scallions + Garlic
3. Mirin
4. Soy Sauce
5. Sesame Seeds

The items listed above are all pantry staples of mine, because I enjoy Japanese food so much, but they may not be part of your essential kitchen lineup … yet. If you’ve never cooked with miso – Japanese fermented soybean paste – then man are you in for a real treat. It’s just about my favorite flavor secret weapon EVER, as it adds incredible depth, saltiness, and umami to so many things. I feature it all over this site, in fact. My Miso-Maple Broiled Salmon Bite Bowls are a personal favorite of mine, as is the Ginger Miso Crunch Ramen with Candied Bacon (my son’s favorite dinner), and this very simple Sesame Seared Tuna with Miso and Snap Peas.

Ginger, scallions, and lots of garlic represent the base of many Japanese style dishes and this fusion risotto is no exception. The triple threat combo gives this rice dish a fantastic depth of flavor that is distinctly NOT Italian. Had I been sticking to a strictly Italian lineup of ingredients, I’d have gone with garlic and lots of shallots, I think. But the punch of fresh ginger is decidedly Japanese, and scallions are a widely used aromatic in Japanese cooking, so in they go. For other ginger-forward recipes Z(to help you use it up), try my Honey Ginger Shrimp Fried Rice, Crispy Ginger Beef Bibimbap, or Sesame Ginger Chicken Stir Fry.

Side note on scallions … the whites can be sautéed and cooked as you would any other onion (shallots, onions, leeks, etc.). Then, you can use the greens as a flavorful topping, giving one ingredient two uses in a single dish. One of my favorite recipes is this very under-the-radar pork chop situation that showcases scallions via a relish that is truly special. Highly recommend you give it a try!

Risotto FAQ

1. What kind of rice do you use for risotto? You could actually use sushi rice here, as it’s very starchy and would lend a creaminess to the dish. But traditionally, risotto is made with Arborio rice.
2. What other uses are there for Arborio rice? Rice pudding is a great way to use up Arborio rice, as is any manner of cozy porridge.
3. Why do you use hot stock when making risotto? By ladling in hot stock during the risotto cooking process, we are able to steal more starch out of each grain of rice. This ultimately makes for a creamier dish. If you use a cool stock, if takes longer to warm up in the pan, and can even “shock” the rice into actually holding onto its starches. This, to me, is funny and fascinating all at once.
4. How to store cooked risotto: Transfer the cooked and cooled risotto to a lidded container and keep in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat gently in a pan on the stove, with a little warm stock or water.

What you’ll need to make this Japanese Style Risotto

As I mentioned above, we’re swapping out some traditional Italian risotto ingredients in favor of more Japanese-leaning things. So, thing ginger, scallions, soy sauce, miso, and garlic here. But it’s the combo of fresh and dried mushrooms that really makes this risotto so incredible. The flavor is just off the charts!

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Four tablespoons butter, divided

1 bunch scallions, chopped, white and green parts separated

2-inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and grated/minced

16 ounces sliced mushrooms (I use cremini/baby bellas)

4 large garlic cloves, minced or grated

1.5 ounces dried porcini or wild mushrooms

1 heaping tablespoon white miso paste

½ cup mirin (or a lightly sweet white wine)

¼ cup soy sauce, plus more for serving

2 cups Arborio rice

6 cups chicken or vegetable stock, warmed

4 skinless salmon filets

Serving suggestion: Sesame seeds, cut/sliced dried nori for topping

How to make this Japanese Risotto with Crispy Salmon

This method follows a standard risotto play-by-play, we’re just swapping out some traditional Italian ingredients for more Japanese-leaning things. Also of note – we’re going to rehydrate some dried mushrooms. This may sound intimidating, but it’s a one-step deal where you just put dried mushrooms in hot water. That’s it. The flavor they add to the finished dish is worth its weight in gold, y’all. Clutch move right there. It’s actually what I do to make my Hungarian Mushroom Soup super special.

DIRECTIONS

Put the dried mushrooms in a small bowl to cover with hot water to rehydrate and soften. 

Add 2 tablespoons of both the oil and the butter to a large deep-sided skillet/pan set over medium heat. Add the scallion whites, ginger, and fresh mushrooms to the pan and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms are tender.

When the dried mushrooms are soften, remove them from the water (save that!) and finely chop them (as finely as you can, almost into a paste). 

When the mushrooms are tender, add the garlic to the pan, along with the rehydrated mushrooms and miso. Cook for about a minute. Add the mirin and soy sauce and cook for one minute more. 

Next, add the rice and allow it to toast/cook for a couple of minutes, stirring. Add a couple ladles full of the hot stock to the pan and cook until it is almost entirely absorbed (takes a couple of minutes or so). Continue adding stock in two-ladle increments, allowing each to absorb before adding the next. Do this until the rice is plump and fully cooked. You likely won’t need all 6 cups of stock, but the more the merrier, as creamy risotto is happy risotto.

Finish with another couple tablespoons of the butter and serve with the crispy salmon (see below), topped with nori (optional) and sesame seeds (optional).

For the Crispy Salmon

Add two tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of butter to a large (preferably) nonstick skillet set over medium high heat. Season the salmon generously with salt and pepper. 

When the butter has melted and the oil is nice and hot, cook the salmon without moving, in batches if needed, until super golden brown and crispy on one side – about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook for another couple minutes on the other side, just until the salmon is cooked through. Slightly undercooked salmon eats like butter, whereas overcooked salmon is … not great. Just my two cents!

If you like the looks of this Japanese Style Risotto with Crispy Pan-Seared Salmon, you might also want to try:

Golden Risotto with Mushrooms, Olives, and Crispy Prosciutto

Slow Cooker Japanese Beef with Udon

Ginger Miso Crunch Ramen with Candied Bacon

Hungarian Mushroom Soup with Garlic Toasts

Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Sauce

Unstuffed Mushroom and Tortellini Skillet

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