Creamy Salmon Pasta (Printable)

Quick, flavorful pasta featuring silky smoked salmon in a rich, creamy lemon-herb sauce—ready in 25 minutes.

# 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 - 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

# Directions:

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 Tips:

01 -
  • It's ready in 25 minutes flat, which means you can have restaurant-quality dinner on your table before anyone gets too hungry.
  • The salmon does the heavy lifting flavor-wise, so you feel like you've actually cooked something impressive without spending all evening in the kitchen.
  • Lemon and cream are a team that just works, and this pasta proves it every single time.
02 -
  • Reserve your pasta water before draining, because that's the secret to transforming a thick, heavy sauce into something that flows and clings—I learned this the hard way after making this dish three times too stiffly.
  • Hot-smoked salmon is already cooked, so all you're doing is warming it through; overcook it and it turns grainy and falls apart in a way that's disappointing rather than delicious.
03 -
  • Use a microplane to zest your lemon instead of a box grater—it captures the oils and distributes the lemon flavor evenly through the sauce instead of in little clumps.
  • Have all your ingredients prepped and ready before you start cooking, because this moves fast once the pasta hits the water and there's no time to mince garlic halfway through.
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