This Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta is one of the easiest dishes you will ever make. Chances are, it is also one of the tastiest too. This lush pasta dish comes together in a pinch, allowing you to deliver impressive and incredibly tasty Italian food in about 15 minutes! It definitely is the perfect choice for a date night or a dinner party (or, to be honest, to eat all by yourself in one sitting!).
Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta. A dish that must have been seriously concocted in heaven. I love how the saltiness of the smoked salmon is perfectly balanced by the red onion and the cream. It’s thick, it’s delicious, it’s comforting. Basically, it’s everything you need in a bowl. And it’s by far one of the simplest recipes in my cooking arsenal.
This dish also happens to be my boyfriend’s favourite. In fact, it is the first thing I have ever cooked for him. When we first started dating he was such a fussy eater. Won’t have this or that ans every meal suggestion was met with a “mmmmmm, maybe” which didn’t meet my enthusiasm one bit. So one day I decided to just go for it. I remember telling him I would make a “cream and smoked salmon pasta”, to which he replied I should just cook one portion for myself and a little bit more so he could try a bite. I thought that was such nonsense! I told him I would make enough for two and, if her really didn’t like it, I would have had his portion the following day (believe me, this amazing pasta could never go to waste in my kitchen).
So I made the pasta and presented it to him one evening – and oh boy, did he like it! Not ONLY he ate the portion I gave him, he had seconds! From that moment on, he trusted my cooking and has eaten and liked pretty much everything I make. And this pasta dish has become a comforting staple, one of those dishes that you make for a special occasion or a cozy night in.
This recipe exists in many shapes and forms in Italy. I fact, I would go as far as to say that everyone has a slightly different version of this dish. My dad, who is not one to shy away from culinary experimentation, adds a splash of cognac whilst sautéing the salmon. Some people use white wine. I for one don’t actually use any alcohol in my recipe, but feel free to do so if you are feeling fancy.
One thing I really recommend using is fresh parsley. It really elevates this dish to an elegant, snazzy main course. I know fresh herbs can seem like a waste of money, particularly if you are not planning on buying the whole plant to keep at home. However, if you are worried some of your fresh herbs will go to waste after using them in one recipe, worry not, I have got the solution for you. Simply freeze them! You have probably seen several food bloggers chopping their leftover herbs and placing them in an ice cube tray, covered with water. That is an awesome trick. However, you can also simply do what my nan and ultimate money-saving expert does: simply roughly chop your herbs, put them in a plastic bag (ziplock ones are the best) and flatten the herbs with a spoon or rolling pin by pressing it onto the freezer bag. Then store them in the freezer. When you need to use them, simply take the zip lock out of the freezer and break the amount you need from the frozen block. It makes for a great addition in pasta sauces, falafels, or fish, and it’s so inexpensive!
Now, this is not the healthiest of Italian dishes. It does use a fair amount of single cream. But please, PLEASE, whatever you do, don’t be tempted to substitute the cream for a low-fat variation. It just won’t make the pasta so thick and creamy. A little bit of fat will not kill you, I promise. And even with full-fat single cream, this dish is still going to be better for you than any processed, ready-meal you can find in the stores. So please, do yourself a favour and use full-fat cream! I promise you, you won’t regret it.
Ingrendients:
Serves 2
150 gr any short pasta cut you like (penne, fusilli, etc) - I used farfalle
250 ml single cream
100 gr smoked salmon
1 red onion
2 garlic cloves
a small handful of fresh parsley (about 15 gr or more if you are a fan)
Black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
Instructions:
Place the pasta in a pot with boiling water and cook according to package instructions.
Thinly chop the red onion and the garlic cloves and fry them in a pan with some olive oil. Cook until the onion has softened.
Chop the smoked salmon in small cubes or chunks and add them to the pan, stirring regularly. As soon as the salmon has changed colour to a light pink, add the single cream and about 2 tbps of pasta water (because we are fancy!).
Bring everything to a light boil, lower the heat and stir every 30 seconds or so. You will notice that after a few minutes the sauce will thicken up and reduce. At this point, chop the fresh parsley and add it to the pan. Crack some black pepper and add some salt if desired. Mix everything and remove from the heat.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the pan. Put the pan back on the heat and cook for a minute whilst coating the pasta in the sauce.
Serve the pasta and tuck in. If you really want to show off, garnish the pasta with some extra fresh parsley on top and serve along with a nice glassed of chilled white wine. That really is a fancy dinner!
This pasta can be stored in the fridge for up to 48 hours. But to be honest with you, it'll be gone by then!
Enjoy.
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