u/good_enough_eats

I make risotto all the time because it's genuinely one of the easiest things to cook, especially when you skip all the traditional fuss. Yes, the "proper" risotto alla milanese wants you to make vegetable broth from scratch, dice shallots for a soffritto, toast the rice in it, then finish with a butter-and-Parmesan mantecatura. But honestly? When you work full time and live alone, who has the energy for all that? I just want to eat something good without turning my kitchen into a restaurant prep station.

Ingredients:

- Arborio or Carnaroli rice
- Hot water (as needed)
- 2 pieces frozen cod
- Chives
- Black pepper
- Dill
- Thyme
- Salt (to taste)
- A pinch of turmeric
- Olive oil (for finishing)
- Lemon juice (optional, a small squeeze)

Steps:

Bring a pot or kettle of water to a boil and keep it hot.

Place the rice in a cold pan, then set the pan over medium heat. Toast the rice as the pan heats, stirring occasionally, until the grains take on a very light golden color.

Pour in hot water to moisten the rice and start the risotto cooking.

Add chives, black pepper, dill, thyme, and salt. Stir to distribute the seasonings.

When the water in the pan returns to a boil, add the frozen cod pieces directly to the pan with the rice.

Continue cooking, stirring from time to time and more often toward the end. As the cod softens, break it into bite-sized pieces in the pan.

Add more hot water as needed while the rice cooks, keeping the texture loose and creamy rather than dry.

Near the end of cooking, add a pinch of turmeric to give the risotto color.

Cook until the rice is tender and creamy and the cod is fully cooked through.

Finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Add a small squeeze of lemon juice if desired, then serve.

Final Notes:

Yes, dropping frozen cod into the pan will briefly interrupt the simmer, but once it comes back to a boil, it's not a disaster at all. The risotto still turns out creamy and delicious.

You can swap the herbs for whatever you have—Provençal-style herb mixes work great with fish.

This is intentionally a stripped-down risotto method: no broth, no soffritto, no butter-and-Parmesan mantecatura. Just rice, water, herbs, fish, and a good finishing oil. That's it.