When it comes to a simple and comforting meal, nothing hits the spot quite like an indulgent creamy pasta recipe. This classic marries the flavour of salmon and the creaminess of crème fraîche (or double cream if preferred) to create a delicious yet quick midweek meal. This recipe yields two servings and can be made in just half an hour from start to finish.
Sharing the method online, Good Food stated: “Indulge in this creamy salmon dish for two. It’s comforting and filling, and ready in just 30 minutes. Serve with a green salad.”
How to make creamy salmon pasta
Ingredients
- Two salmon fillets
- One tbsp olive oil, plus one tsp if roasting
- 175g penne
- Two shallots or one small onion, finely chopped
- One garlic clove, crushed
- 100ml white wine
- 200ml double cream or crème fraîche
- A quarter of a lemon, zested and juiced
- Half a small bunch dill, finely chopped
Method
The salmon can be prepared by either roasting or steaming. For roasting, preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan) or gas mark six. Place the salmon on a baking sheet, drizzle with a little oil, and cook for approximately 12 minutes until the fish is opaque and begins to flake when gently pressed.
For steaming, arrange the fillets skin-side down in a steamer basket positioned over a pot of gently simmering water, and steam for 8 to 10 minutes until the fish is fully cooked through.
While the salmon cooks, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta for about 10 minutes until it reaches an al dente texture. Drain the pasta, keeping back around 100ml of the cooking water.
In a large frying pan, heat a bit of oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for about six minutes until it becomes soft without browning. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional minute until aromatic.
Pour in the white wine and let it simmer until it reduces by about half. Stir in the cream and season generously, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
Once the salmon is done, break it into large chunks, discarding the skin. Add the salmon and the cooked pasta to the sauce. Mix in the lemon zest, a bit of lemon juice, and most of the chopped dill.
If needed, loosen the sauce with some of the reserved pasta water to ensure it coats the pasta well.
Toss everything together carefully so the salmon stays in large pieces. Adjust the seasoning to taste – if using double cream, you might need a bit more lemon juice to balance it.
Finish with freshly ground black pepper and the rest of the dill and serve alongside a green salad.
