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Creamy Salmon Pasta Recipe
Ash Tyrrell

Creamy Salmon Pasta Recipe

I still remember the first night I made this creamy salmon pasta. I was juggling a hungry family and zero patience for standing over a hot pan flipping fish fillets. So I popped the salmon under the broiler instead, and while it browned away on its own, I whipped up a silky cream sauce on the stove
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Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound dried fettuccine or linguine – the sturdy strands hold up beautifully under a creamy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter – the base fat that starts the sauce off rich
  • 1 medium shallot thinly sliced – adds a mellow, slightly sweet onion flavor
  • 4 cloves garlic minced – use fresh cloves, not the jarred kind, for the best aroma
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt divided – seasons both the sauce and the pasta water
  • 1½ cups heavy cream – this is what makes the sauce luxuriously smooth
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard – a small spoonful cuts through the richness beautifully
  • 5 ounces baby spinach – skip frozen spinach fresh wilts faster and tastes cleaner
  • Zest of 1 medium lemon – brightens the whole dish without adding sourness
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice – always squeeze it fresh bottled juice tastes flat
  • Freshly ground black pepper – finish the plate with a generous crack
  • 1½ pounds salmon fillets similar thickness – even pieces cook at the same rate
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil – helps the salmon brown instead of steam
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt – for seasoning the fish
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper – for seasoning the fish

Method
 

  1. Line a baking sheet with foil and set your oven rack a few inches from the broiler. Pat the salmon fillets dry, rub them with olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Broil skin-side down for 4 to 8 minutes until the fish is just about cooked through, since it will keep cooking a bit as it rests.
  2. While the salmon broils, drop your fettuccine into a large pot of well-salted boiling water. Cook it about a minute short of al dente, stirring now and then so the noodles don't clump together. Before draining, scoop out a cup of that starchy pasta water you'll want later for the sauce.
  3. In the now-empty pasta pot, melt the butter and sauté the shallot and garlic with a pinch of salt until soft and fragrant. Pour in the heavy cream and Dijon mustard, then let it bubble gently for about two minutes until it thickens slightly. This is where the sauce really comes alive.
  4. Toss the drained pasta, spinach, and a splash of reserved pasta water into the sauce, tossing constantly until the spinach wilts and everything is glossy and coated. Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon zest and juice, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Pile the pasta onto a platter and break the broiled salmon into big chunks on top, leaving the skin behind on the tray.

Notes

  • I always save extra pasta water because it's the secret to a silky sauce that clings instead of pooling.
  • I grate my lemon zest before juicing the lemon. Trying to do it the other way around is nearly impossible.
  • I let the salmon rest for a couple of minutes off the heat so it stays juicy instead of drying out.
  • I season in layers a little salt in the pasta water, a little in the sauce, and a final taste at the end instead of dumping it all in at once.
  • I use a wide, shallow platter instead of a bowl because it keeps the pasta from clumping into a heavy pile.