Creamy Salmon Pasta (Printable Version)

Quick, flavorful pasta featuring silky hot-smoked salmon in a rich, creamy sauce balanced with lemon and fresh herbs.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

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

→ Sauce

03 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 small shallot, finely chopped
06 - 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
07 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
08 - Zest and juice of 1 lemon
09 - 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 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley

# How to Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
02 - Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot, sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until soft and fragrant.
03 - Stir in the heavy cream, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, and juice. Simmer gently for 2 to 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 Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes restaurant-quality but won't trap you in the kitchen while your family waits.
  • The hot-smoked salmon does all the heavy lifting, so you're really just building a sauce around something already delicious.
  • Lemon and cream are a pairing that never gets old, and the fresh herbs keep it from feeling heavy.
02 -
  • If your sauce breaks or looks grainy, don't panic—just whisk in a splash of cold pasta water and it will often come back together, though it takes patience and a bit of faith.
  • The pasta water you reserve is not optional, because it's what transforms a heavy cream sauce into something that actually coats pasta instead of just sitting on top of it.
  • Hot-smoked salmon is your friend here because it's already cooked, so you're just warming it through, not cooking it into submission.
03 -
  • A splash of dry white wine after the shallots softens adds complexity and a subtle dryness that cuts through the richness without making itself obvious.
  • If your cream sauce is too thick, keep adding pasta water by the spoonful rather than by the splash, because it's easier to loosen than to thicken.
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