Lemon Asparagus Salmon with Mushroom Risotto

You'll see me cook salmon a lot.  I love the flavor and the simplicity of it!  And once it gets a little warmer out I'll be grilling it on a cedar plank.  I can't wait!  But today was a bit chilly so I stayed inside and baked it in a little parchment pouch.  If you're using a smaller piece of fish, you can even use the pre-seamed bags.  I get mine at Shoprite.  This whole meal came together in just 30 minutes! 



Salmon-

1/2 bundle of Asparagus

2 Lemons

1 1/2 lbs Salmon

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Start by cutting off the ends of the aparagus and slicing the lemons. 

Place the salmon on a piece of parchment paper.  I actually should have spun the salmon around 90 degrees so the length of the paper could wrap around the width of the salmon.  The way I have it below, the paper couldn't fold over the fish. 

Sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper and then top with the asparagus and lemon.  If I were to do this again, I would have tried squeezing the lemon onto the fish first, and then placing the juiceless lemon rings on top of the asparagus.  The way I made it, the asparagus came out a little too lemony.  When I try it again, I will update you.  Drizzle the olive oil over the top. 

Here is when I relized the salmon wasn't sitting right on the paper and I flipped it around.  Simply pick the ends of the paper up, and roll them down toward the fish.  Then tuck and roll the ends underneith. 

Lay the salmon on a baking sheet and place it in a cool oven and set it to 400 degrees.  Let bake for about 20-25 minutes

While that's cooking, start the Risotto.  I didn't go through all of the steps since I already made it here.  But I added mushrooms this time, so I showed how and when I included them. 



Risotto -

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Butter

1 1/2 cups Risotto Rice

1/2 cup Dry White Wine
5 cups Vegetable Broth
2 Portobello Mushrooms
Salt and Pepper to taste

1/3 cup grated Romano Cheese

I sliced the mushrooms and then cut in half.  I actually ended up cutting these into bite sizes pieces later on becuase they didn't reduce as much as I thought they would.  Do yourself a favor and cut them into quarters or smaller now. 

Cook them up with about a tablespoon of olive oil.  I let them sit on the back burner on a medium heat while I was cooking the risotto.  I stirred them every once in a while to make sure they cooked evenly. 

Once nearly all of your broth has been added, I think I had about a cup to go at this point, you can add your mushrooms to the pan.  

Everything finished at nearly the same time.  I took the salmon out of the oven and let it sit and steam a little longer while I added the finishing touches to my risotto. 

Look at that beautiful fish! Bonus: the parchment paper makes for easy clean up!

Now that's what I call a good evening: Delicious dinner with a cold beer!  YUM!