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Baked Cajun Salmon with Parmesan Risotto

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This epic baked cajun salmon with parmesan risotto is deliciously spiced and incredibly good; extra tender, buttery, crispy, and flavorful salmon with creamy parmesan risotto! Makes such a great weeknight meal!

Cozy season is in full swing and I, for one, could not be any more delighted y’all. This time of year is my most absolute favorite. And even though this hella crazy year has been extra heavy, I won’t allow for my joy to be stolen. Between you and me, I’ve already bought so many of those Fall seasonal candles, drank my weight in Starbucks’ pumpkin cream cold brew, and made cinnamon rolls almost every single weekend, ha!

As we gear up for prime time cooking season as well, I’ve been leaning into some of my easy dinner staples. Making a meal that’s easy yet delicious and outside of the usual go-to’s is always up my alley. This baked cajun salmon with parmesan risotto is just that. So much so that it’s one of the most requested in my home.

Cajun Salmon Ingredients

  • fresh salmon; skin-on or skin removed
  • kosher salt
  • ground white pepper
  • crushed red pepper flakes
  • cayenne pepper
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder
  • dried oregano
  • dried thyme
  • smoked paprika
  • unsalted butter

Salmon itself is such a very delicate and light protein-filled food. The combination of cajun spices here yield the most flavorful salmon, ever! Cajun spices do tend to have a touch of heat, hence the cayenne/red pepper flakes. However, the heat factor is subtle when paired in conjunction with the other spices. The seasoned salmon bakes with a few pats of butter ensuring extra deliciousness and no dry salmon!

Other Great Weeknight Recipes

Cajun Salmon With Parmesan Risotto

Have you ever made risotto before? I know, I know. Homemade risotto has a daunting reputation but I can assure you that it ain’t hard to do, I promise. It pairs so beautifully with this cajun salmon too, y’all.

What Is Risotto?

Risotto is a starchy Italian rice dish made from a short-grained rice called Arborio. Risotto is cooked with broth and other aromatics until it reaches a very creamy consistency. For this recipe, we’re making parmesan risotto. This lovely rice dish cooks up with so much flavor from onions, garlic, butter, broth, and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Ugh, this parmesan risotto is what I imagine heaven tastes like.

How To Make Cajun Salmon With Parmesan Risotto

(Note: the full written recipe, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)

  1. Wrap salmon in foil and place in baking dish.
  2. Season salmon with cajun spices.
  3. Add cubed butter on top of salmon.
  4. Bake salmon in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
  5. While salmon cooks, make parmesan risotto.
  6. Serve cajun salmon with parmesan risotto immediately and enjoy!

Why Bake Salmon In Foil?

Baking the salmon in foil helps to ensure nice moisture and flavor within the salmon; yielding a super fork tender, extra moist, and flaky salmon. All of the spices stay locked in with the butter and nestle in the salmon, chefs kiss. Without foil, it’s likely that you’ll end up with drier salmon- I’d hate this for you.

What Kind Of Salmon To Source

I highly recommend getting Atlantic salmon at your grocers seafood counter. Additionally, you will want to ensure that your salmon is boneless too. As for whether or not the salmon has skin, this is entirely up to you. I do prefer to buy skinless salmon for ease but you can totally buy with the skin on and remove after baking. Once cooked, the skin does comes off easily. Otherwise, you can avoid and just eat around it too.

Reheating This Cajun Salmon With Parmesan Risotto

  • Store the cooked baked salmon in an airtight container for no more than 3 days.
  • For best results, reheat as necessary by placing leftover salmon into a skillet with a few splashes of water then cover skillet to let salmon steam through.
  • You can also warm leftover salmon in the microwave with some extra butter as to not dry out.
  • To reheat the risotto, add a few splashes more of warmed broth to loosen risotto.

That’s all folks, this baked cajun salmon with parmesan risotto is truly a delight. I just can’t get enough of this recipe, sooo good. It’s a real weeknight-friendly stunner and sure to be a crowd pleaser. If you’ve never made risotto before, I hope my written instructions do you good and I can’t wait to see all the recreations!

REMEMBER TO LEAVE A ⭐️STAR RATING⭐️AND TAG ME ON THE ‘GRAM IF YOU MAKE ANY OF MY RECIPES! I ALWAYS LOVE TO SEE IT WHEN YOU DO!

UNTIL NEXT TIME…LOVE AND BUTTER,

Q.

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baked cajun salmon with parmesan risotto on pink and white plate

Baked Cajun Salmon with Parmesan Risotto

  • Author: Quin
  • Prep Time: 10m
  • Cook Time: 30m
  • Total Time: 40m
  • Yield: 4 1x
Print Recipe

Description

This baked cajun salmon with parmesan risotto is incredibly good; extra tender, buttery, crispy, and flavorful salmon with creamy parmesan risotto! Makes such a great weeknight meal!

Scale

Ingredients

Cajun Salmon

  • 2 lb salmon, skin-on or skin-off
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
  • *optional, lemon slices/wedges

Parmesan Risotto

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped white onion
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

Instructions

Cajun Salmon

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. 
  2. In a small bowl, combine all spices together, mixing well to fully incorporate. Set aside.
  3. Use a large baking dish (such as a 9×13-inch vessel) and line dish with aluminum foil, enough foil to drape over sides to fully envelope salmon. Place salmon on top of foil and season with spices all over. Rub spices into salmon all around to fully coat salmon in its entirety.
  4. Add cubed butter all over tops and sides of salmon. Cover salmon tightly in foil.
  5. Bake salmon for 25-30 minutes (this may depend on the thickness of the fish) or until salmon is cooked through and flakes with a fork. Serve warm with lemon slices/wedges.

Parmesan Risotto

  1. In a large saucepan or dutch oven, melt oil and butter over medium heat.
  2. Add in chopped onion and sauté until onion becomes translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
  3. Add in minced garlic and continue cooking while stirring throughout to avoid burning garlic, about 1-2 minutes.
  4. Pour in rice, stirring for 2 minutes, rice will begin lightly toasting.
  5. Stir in 1 cup of broth. Continuously stir mixture until you see that liquid is fully absorbed.
  6. Add in another 1 cup of broth, continuing to cook and stirring throughout until liquid is absorbed. Then repeat process for last cup of broth. Once last cup of broth has absorbed, sprinkle in parmesan cheese. Taste risotto and add salt/pepper, as desired.

Notes

  1. Salmon can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
  2. As risotto sits, it may harden. You can add in more warmed broth to loosen risotto.
  • Category: Entrée, Dinner
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: salmon, cajun, risotto, parmesan, baked

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