Prep Work: First things first – let’s get everything ready. Grab your salmon (about a pound) and chop it into nice chunks. While you’re at it, finely chop 2 shallots and a couple garlic cloves. You’ll need a cup of Arborio rice and around 4 cups of warm broth. I usually go for fish broth, but honestly? Veggie or chicken broth works great too.

Starting the Base: Get a good heavy-bottomed pot nice and hot with some olive oil – couple tablespoons should do it. Toss in those shallots and let them do their thing until they’re soft and translucent (3-4 minutes tops). Then throw in the garlic just for a minute – you’ll know it’s ready when your kitchen starts smelling amazing.

Rice Time: Time for the rice! Drop it into the pot and keep stirring for a minute or two. You want each grain to get coated with oil and slightly toasted – trust me, this makes all the difference in flavor.

The Broth Dance: Here comes the zen part of risotto-making: slowly add your broth, one ladle at a time. Keep the heat at medium-low and stir gently. Wait for the rice to drink up most of the liquid before adding more. Yeah, it takes patience – about 18-20 minutes – but you’ll end up with this incredibly creamy texture that’s still got a bit of bite to it.

Adding the Star: When your rice is almost there, that’s your cue to add the salmon. Just fold it in gently – you don’t want to break up those beautiful pieces. The residual heat will cook it perfectly.

Final Touches: Lastly, turn off the fire and throw in a handful of fresh herbs – parsley or basil, whatever you’ve got. Finish with a squeeze of lemon to make all those flavors pop. Seriously, don’t skip this part – it takes your risotto from good to “can I have seconds?”