Looking for your next go-to weeknight dinner that’s both healthy and delicious? Consider adding the delicious and simple salmon pasta to your culinary repertoire!
This article will walk you through every ingredient needed to whip up this dish and then detail each step of the recipe for you to follow. It will even offer a few tips and tricks and nutritional information for the dish. Read on to the first section to learn all about this versatile, crowd-pleasing dish!
What Is Creamy Salmon Pasta?
Pan-seared salmon served over a bed of noodles tossed in a bright and creamy sauce. This dish is simple enough to become a weeknight staple but looks and tastes elevated enough to be served for a special anniversary or date night.
It requires just a few common ingredients and takes no longer than thirty minutes from start to finish.
The reason we chose these ingredients
This section will note all the ingredients you’ll need to cook creamy salmon pasta at home.
Salmon
For this recipe, you will need filets of salmon. We recommend using wild-caught Alaskan salmon, but any type of fish will work. Your salmon can be either fresh or frozen. In a pinch, you can even make this recipe using canned salmon.
Pasta
You can use your favorite pasta shape or whatever you have at hand in your pantry. We especially love using long, thin noodles such as spaghetti, linguini, or tagliatelle for this recipe. Example:
Penne
Farfalle
Tagliatelle
Fettuccine
If you are ambitious, you can make your fresh pasta out of just flour and eggs to use in this recipe.
Butter/Oil
We recommend using a mixture of butter and neutral-tasting olive oil for the cooking fat in this recipe. Unsalted butter allows you to have the best control over the dish’s seasoning rather than salted butter. However, you can easily modify this into a dairy-free dish using all oil instead of butter.
Vegetables (Optional)
One of the many reasons we love this recipe is its versatility. Rather than calling for a specific type of veggie, the option is left open so that you can add vegetables that may be in season or readily available to you. You can also leave them out entirely if you choose.
Dark, leafy greens like kale and spinach accompany this dish beautifully. Other options that fit the flavor profile of the dish are asparagus, broccoli, and leeks.
Cream
This ingredient is what makes this salmon pasta live up to its name! Ideally, we recommend using heavy or whipping cream to achieve the best flavor and texture in your sauce. If you do not have either handy, you can substitute half and half or whole milk. If you are making this recipe dairy-free, you can substitute an alternative plant-based milk, such as oat or soy.
Yellow Onion and Garlic
These two members of the allium family are powerful aromatics that will lightly flavor your sauce and help build a layered and balanced dish.
Cooking Wine
White wine like Pinot Grigio is an excellent choice for deglazing the pan and adding an acidic element to the sauce. The alcohol cooks off while the sauce is simmering, but if you prefer not to use wine, you can substitute stock or broth with a squeeze of lemon.
Salt and Pepper
Salt and pepper are essential to making sure that your dish ends up seasoned properly.
The Best Creamy Salmon Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 Salmon fillets
- 200 grams Pasta
- 1 tsp Butter or oil
- Vegetables
- 200 ml Cream
- 1 Yellow Onion
- 100 ml Cooking wine
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 Garlic clove
Instructions
Cook Your Salmon:
- Start by preheating a pan over medium heat.
- Prepare to sear your salmon by patting it dry with a paper towel and seasoning it with salt, pepper and a bit of oil.
- Gently place the salmon on the hot pan skin side down and cook between 4-5 minutes, until crispy.
- Flip in the pan and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove the filet from the pan and set it aside.
Cook Your Pasta:
- Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove.
- Once it’s reached a rolling boil, add your desired amount of pasta and cook according to the instructions on the package (usually between 10-12 minutes).
- Once the pasta is al dente, drain it from the water and set it aside.
Build Your Sauce:
- For this step, return to the same pan you cooked the salmon in. Add 1-2 tablespoons of butter and melt.
- Add finely diced onion and garlic and saute until the aromatics are translucent.
- Remove the pan from the heat and deglaze with ⅓ cup of white wine.
- Cook until most of the liquid evaporates, and the pan is relatively dry. At this point, reduce the heat to low and add the cream.
- Stir well, taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Simmer the sauce for at least 5 minutes so that it starts to thicken and reduce.
Cook Vegetables:
- While the sauce is simmering, you can prepare any vegetables you would like to add to the dish by sauteing or boiling them. Once cooked, set them aside.
Put It All Together:
- Toss the pasta and vegetables in the sauce, then serve on plates.
- Add the salmon filets on top of the noodles and dig in!
Tips & Tricks for Creamy Salmon Pasta
If your cream sauce gets too thick, you can add a bit of the water you cooked the pasta in to thin it out. The starch in the water will help the sauce hold together and cling to the noodles.
Nutrition Information of Creamy Salmon Pasta
Creamy salmon pasta is a healthy weeknight dinner well-balanced in macro and micronutrients.
The exact calorie content will vary depending on the ingredients you use. On average, a serving of this dish will be around 500 calories, with around 40 grams of fat, 30 grams of carbohydrates, and 25 grams of protein.
Conclusion
There you have it! The easiest and most delicious creamy salmon pasta recipe. With just a few ingredients and a short amount of time and effort, you can easily prepare this dish that will impress your family and friends. Bon appetit!
This has been a big hit each time I’ve made it!
I made this twice so far and we loved it.
Great recipe!