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Home / Recipes / Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta

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Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta

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Swimming in creamy flavor.

plate of smoked salmon pasta on gray plate with chives

Up until about two weeks ago, I thought the only thing you could really do with smoked salmon was to pile thin slices atop a bagel with cream cheese. Was I wrong. Pasta may not sound as natural with smoked salmon as a bagel, but it is no less delicious. Creamy smoked salmon pasta is 15-minute (yes) dinner that tastes amazing: salty, satisfying, and brightened with lemon and chives.

You’ll also like: Fettuccini Alfredo e Pepe and The World’s Best Pesto Pasta

ingredients for pasta linguine smoked salmon lemon chives

Buying smoked salmon used to mean using some of it once on a delicious weekend bagel, then letting the rest of the package languish in the refrigerator until I remembered (too late) that I was supposed to use it within a few days after opening. Now I cook this.

I adapted this recipe from a simple pasta dish in The Silver Spoon cookbook. The Silver Spoon is to Italy as The Joy of Cooking is to America: a necessary Bible of home cookery. This recipe involves little more than boiling pasta and adding it to a pan of smoked salmon pieces that have been simmering in a pan of butter and cream.

Smoked salmon is actually a not-unpopular Italian food. Smoked salmon was — and remains — an effective a way of preserving fresh seafood, enjoyed even by the ancient Romans and Greeks.

plate of smoked salmon pasta on gray plate with chives

Recipe Notes: Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta

Pasta choice. A creamy pasta wants a long, flat noodle. Pasta shapes like linguine, fettuccini, tagiatelle, or other ribbon pasta envelops the sauce just so. Often, when the pasta topping is chunky, you would want a chunky pasta. But here, the smoked salmon pieces are small enough to work with a long pasta.

Check the salt. Different brands and types of smoked salmon (lox, nova, and so on) differ in sodium content, but all do have a lot of salt. Thus, this recipe does not call for added salt — you are also boiling the pasta in salted water — but check for seasoning anyway.

Scallions also work really well here. Just like with salmon cream cheese, scallion and smoked salmon make a great flavor combination, with the fresh, mellow allium sharpness of scallions working as a great counterpoint to the salty salmon. I use chives here because they give the dish a great presentation and taste more mild, but scallions are a fine alternative.

Did you make this smoked salmon Pasta recipe? What did you think? Share below.

plate of smoked salmon pasta on gray plate with chives

plate of smoked salmon pasta on gray plate with chives
Print Recipe

Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta With Lemon

A 15-minute pasta that is deeply satisfying and couldn't be easier.
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Course: dinner
Cuisine: American, Chinese, Italian
Keywords:: dinner, easy, italian, lox, pasta, pescatarian, salmon, seafood
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

  • 1 pound long, flat pasta, such linguine, fettuccini, or tagliatelle
  • 6 ounces smoked salmon, cut into pieces
  • 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter
  • 2 lemons, zested and juiced
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons minced chives (can substitute 2 tablespoons thinly-sliced scallions)
  • kosher salt

Instructions

  • Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until just shy of al dente. Drain, reserving some pasta water.
  • While the water is boiling, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the salmon, lemon juice, half of the lemon zest, and half of the chives. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cream and cook over low heat (the cream should be at a simmer) for about 5 minutes.
  • Add the drained pasta to the cream mixture. Cook for a few minutes, tossing to coat. Taste for seasoning. If the pasta looks a little dry, add pasta water a tablespoon or two at a time until it is creamy enough.
  • Serve immediately, topped with the remaining chives and lemon zest.

Filed Under: Dinner, Easy, Recipes Tagged With: cream, dinner, easy, lemon, lox, pasta, salmon, seafood

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Therèse says

    November 2, 2020 at 3:34 pm

    5 stars
    Wow this is creamy and good. I did not ever think to use smoked salmon in a pasta but it works. Loved this.

    Reply
  2. David R. says

    November 2, 2020 at 3:35 pm

    5 stars
    This was very easy to make and I really enjoyed it. Halved the recipe for 2 people.

    Reply
  3. Carolyn says

    November 2, 2020 at 3:35 pm

    5 stars
    Simple and lovely. Will make again.

    Reply
  4. P.L. says

    November 2, 2020 at 3:36 pm

    5 stars
    A great pasta recipe. So easy to make. I used lox.

    Reply

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