Creamy Salmon Pasta (Printable view)

Rich, silky pasta with hot-smoked salmon, cream, lemon, and fresh herbs ready in 25 minutes.

# What You 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

# How To Make:

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. Season with black pepper and adjust salt if needed. Serve immediately, topped with remaining herbs and extra lemon zest if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • This comes together in 25 minutes but tastes like you spent much longer
  • The smoky salmon adds depth you just cant get from regular fish
  • Lemon cuts through the cream making every fork feel balanced and bright
02 -
  • Hot-smoked salmon is already cooked, so you're just warming it through—overcooking makes it dry and tough
  • The pasta water trick is what transforms this from okay to incredible, don't skip it
  • Your sauce will thicken as it stands off the heat, so it should look slightly looser in the pan than you want on the plate
03 -
  • Buy the best smoked salmon you can find—it's the star of the show and cheap stuff tastes disappointingly fishy
  • If your sauce breaks, whisk in a tiny bit more cold pasta water and it should come back together
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