Creamy Salmon Pasta (Printable)

Silky hot-smoked salmon meets rich cream sauce in this quick 25-minute pasta with fresh herbs and citrus.

# What You 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 - 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 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 scant 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 2–3 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 Hints:

01 -
  • It tastes restaurant-quality but comes together faster than takeout, so you actually feel like you won at dinner.
  • The salmon stays tender and buttery, the sauce coats every strand of pasta, and the lemon keeps it from feeling heavy no matter how rich it is.
  • It's fancy enough to impress someone, casual enough to eat alone standing over the sink, and genuinely delicious both ways.
02 -
  • If your sauce looks broken or curdled, the temperature got too high; pull it off the heat immediately, whisk in a splash of cold pasta water, and usually it recovers.
  • Don't wait until the pasta is completely cooked before you start the sauce, because the timing matters—everything should come together in the same few minutes so the pasta is still warm when it meets the sauce.
03 -
  • Always reserve your pasta water before you drain the pasta; it's the difference between a sauce that clings and one that slides right off.
  • If you're nervous about the cream curdling, keep your heat at medium and never let it boil—a gentle simmer is all you need.
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