The Best Creamy Salmon Pasta (Printer View)

Silky pasta with hot-smoked salmon in a rich, creamy lemon sauce with fresh herbs

# What you'll need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz dried fettuccine or spaghetti
02 - Salt, for pasta water

→ Sauce

03 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 small shallot, finely chopped
06 - 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp heavy cream
07 - 1 tsp Dijon mustard
08 - Zest and juice of 1 lemon
09 - Scant 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
10 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
11 - 5 oz hot-smoked salmon, flaked
12 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
13 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley

# Method:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve scant 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
02 - Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot, sauté for 2–3 minutes until soft and fragrant.
03 - Stir in the heavy cream, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, and juice. Simmer gently for 2–3 minutes.
04 - Add the flaked hot-smoked salmon and half of the chopped dill or parsley. Stir gently to warm through.
05 - Toss the drained pasta into the skillet. Add reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce. Sprinkle in the Parmesan and toss until the pasta is coated and the sauce is silky.
06 - Season with black pepper and adjust salt if needed. Serve immediately, topped with remaining herbs and extra lemon zest if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The hot-smoked salmon brings this incredible depth without any actual cooking effort on your part
  • It comes together in under 30 minutes but tastes like something from a proper Italian restaurant
  • The sauce clings to every strand of pasta like it was meant to be there all along
02 -
  • Don't skip reserving that pasta water, it's the difference between sauce that coats and sauce that slides right off
  • Hot-smoked salmon is already fully cooked, so you're just warming it through gently, not actually cooking it
  • The sauce will continue to thicken as it stands off the heat, so don't reduce it too much in the pan
03 -
  • Use a microplane for the lemon zest so you get just the fragrant yellow oil, none of the bitter white pith
  • Flake the salmon into large, generous chunks rather than tiny pieces so you get those satisfying bites throughout
Return