Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions, 9 minutes for al dente. Before straining, reserve ½ a cup of pasta water to the side. Drain pasta, reserve while you prepare sauce.
Prepare sauce: Heat a large skillet on stovetop over moderate heat. Add butter and melt, then add shallot, cooking to soften for about 1 minute. Add garlic and capers tossing them in then cooking for 1 minute. Add salmon, tossing it about in the pan for 2 minutes more. Stir in tomato paste then add cream and pasta water. Add more pasta water to achieve desired consistency. Toss or stir to combine. Add cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to combine.
To serve: Add dill and lemon juice to pan and toss. Divide between two bowls or pasta plates. Garnish each plate with a sprinkle of freshly cracked mixed peppercorns.
Smoked Salmon Pasta
Ingredients
4 tagliatelle “nests”(see story for details)
2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, finely diced
6 ounces smoked salmon, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, finely diced
1 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¼ cup 35% cream
¼ cup pasta water
fresh dill to taste
juice from ½ a lemon
freshly cracked mixed peppercorns
Directions
Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions, 9 minutes for al dente. Before straining, reserve ½ a cup of pasta water to the side. Drain pasta, reserve while you prepare sauce.
Prepare sauce: Heat a large skillet on stovetop over moderate heat. Add butter and melt, then add shallot, cooking to soften for about 1 minute. Add garlic and capers tossing them in then cooking for 1 minute. Add salmon, tossing it about in the pan for 2 minutes more. Stir in tomato paste then add cream and pasta water. Add more pasta water to achieve desired consistency. Toss or stir to combine. Add cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to combine.
To serve: Add dill and lemon juice to pan and toss. Divide between two bowls or pasta plates. Garnish each plate with a sprinkle of freshly cracked mixed peppercorns.
Smoked Salmon Pasta
5 / 5. 2
A sauté of smoked salmon with shallot, garlic, capers and tomato paste, tossed with egg noodles, lemon and fresh dill…
Table for two? I mean, dinner for two! Make this SMOKED SALMON PASTA.
From the moment we started working on this recipe, we knew we were on to a good thing; this pasta recipe is nothing short of amazing. When you just need dinner on the quick, but you also want it to be exceedingly delicious, this SMOKED SALMON PASTA is the recipe you just gotta make. From boiling the pasta to sautéing the sauce, you’ll have dinner on the table with a total time of 15 to 20 minutes.
Here’s all the good stuff on making SMOKED SALMON PASTA:
INGREDIENTS
Everything in this recipe is readily available, with no need for a special trip to the grocery store. The only exception to that might be the smoked salmon, but I’ll share a protein pro tip on that in a little bit. Hopefully the above photo shows the need to keep a few basics on hand, remembering we think this pasta recipe is so good, you’ll be making it again and again.
SMOKED SALMON
So let’s cut right to the chase on one of the two principle ingredients for this recipe, the salmon. We suggest making this recipe using smoked salmon, but if you’re in a pinch, lox will work too. What’s the difference between smoked salmon and lox? Smoked salmon is cured and then smoked, whereas lox is only cured, typically in a salt brine. For best results, look for options that aren’t enhanced with flavouring; we’ll leave the flavour boost to the things we add into the sauce. ProTip: Look for small packs of frozen smoked salmon in the seafood section of your local grocery store. They defrost quickly and it’s a good idea to have this main ingredient at the ready. Why? Because you’ll be making this pasta again and again.
Preparing the smoked salmon for the recipe is easy. The salmon is usually packaged in thin slices laid out across thin wrap. We’re saying six ounces of smoked salmon for the recipe, which is about five or six slices. Transfer those slices to a cutting board, then cut them into smaller bite-sized pieces. Watch the VIDEO attached to this post to see how we did it.
PASTA – TAGLIATELLE
We crafted this recipe using a favourite long, egg noodle pasta. You’ll be able to find them at your local grocer or specialty food store. We used a tagliatelle all’uovo from Felicetti’s Monograno line and loved the results. This pasta cooked perfectly following the directions on the package. These wide egg noodles are also flavourful and kept their taste and texture even after being boiled and sautéed in the skillet with the salmon and rosé sauce.
Preparing the pasta is easy. Add the noodles into a large pot of salted water brought to a boil and cook for nine minutes for al dente. Then reserve at least a quarter cup of the pasta water before you drain. We used two nests of tagliatelle per person, so it’s easy to double or triple the recipe for more guests. One additional consideration is the type and shape of pasta that will work for this recipe. The answer: any and all. Feel free to try the recipe using a traditional pasta made with a wheat and water dough or an egg dough as we did here. Additionally, try different shaped pasta like spaghetti, linguine, capellini and then short noodles like penne, fusilli, rigatoni and macaroni. Let’s say you make fresh pasta from scratch, here’s your chance to shine. Make your favourite homemade pasta and, get to it!
ROSÉ SAUCE
The inspiration for the sauce used in this recipe is from the popular pasta dish penne all vodka. Although we did incorporate tomato and cream from the classic sauce recipe, we opted to eliminate the vodka and instead add in some additional flavour boosters. Incorporating finely diced shallots and garlic plus capers impart lots of flavour, plus they partner really well with the tomato paste and heavy cream, creating a classic creamy sauce.
For every at-home cook out there who’s looked at a recipe and thought, “Let’s add more flavour!”, we have an answer. Grab a lemon, a bunch of fresh dill and a pepper mill filled with mixed peppercorns. Adding lemon juice to this pasta right at the end adds a pleasing tang, while the dill, or any other fresh herbs you’d rather like to use, delivers loads of fresh taste. Optional, you can add lemon zest too. And what about those peppercorns? Although we most often use black peppercorns for cooking, red, green and white peppercorns are so fragrant, prepare to be amazed.
MAKING THE SAUCE
Making the creamy pasta sauce is surprisingly simple. We suggest making it in a large skillet or wide pan over medium-high heat. Softening the shallots in the melted butter before adding the garlic and capers is easy, letting the pleasing aromas coming up off the pan be your guide. Then, add the tomato paste and cream to simmer and just stir into the sautéed vegetables.
Notice in the above photo there’s a liquid measure of pasta cooking water and a small quantity of heavy cream. Sometimes referred to as whipping cream or 35% cream, wait until you see how the cream and pasta water thicken up to create a memorably silky sauce. We felt this was easier than making the sauce using cream cheese. If at any point you worry about process, simply head to the bottom of this page to reference the full directions and instructions. It’s all easy.
The final step in making this homemade pasta recipe is to add the cooked tagliatelle, lemon juice, freshly chopped dill and a sprinkle of pepper. If you’re really feeling like a chef, you can toss everything together either by flicking the pan, or just use two spoons to toss everything together, making sure the noodles are coated in the sensational sauce.
SERVE
Once the noodles are transferred to plates or pasta bowls, make sure to spoon the bits of salmon and sauce on top of each portion. Although some people serve this with Parmesan cheese, we don’t think it necessary; it’s perfect as is. Use a spatula to serve: you don’t want to miss even the tiniest bit of creaminess in the pan. Another important takeaway, there won’t be leftovers.
Time is of the essence when serving this delicious creamy smoked salmon pasta recipe. Serve and enjoy it straight away.
PIN IT!
This fresh, homemade pasta recipe is so perfect, we suggest you PIN the recipe to a favourite main course, pasta or weeknight dinner idea board on PINTEREST or BOOKMARK this tab for easy access. SHARE it with friends so they can make them too. We’d also appreciate seeing pics of all the delicious dishes you’re making these days. Use #weekendatthecottage when you post those pics on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks!
Make this delicious SMOKED SALMON PASTA tonight. Yummy is on the way!
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Ingredients
4 tagliatelle “nests”(see story for details)
2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, finely diced
6 ounces smoked salmon, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, finely diced
1 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¼ cup 35% cream
¼ cup pasta water
fresh dill to taste
juice from ½ a lemon
freshly cracked mixed peppercorns
Directions
Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions, 9 minutes for al dente. Before straining, reserve ½ a cup of pasta water to the side. Drain pasta, reserve while you prepare sauce.
Prepare sauce: Heat a large skillet on stovetop over moderate heat. Add butter and melt, then add shallot, cooking to soften for about 1 minute. Add garlic and capers tossing them in then cooking for 1 minute. Add salmon, tossing it about in the pan for 2 minutes more. Stir in tomato paste then add cream and pasta water. Add more pasta water to achieve desired consistency. Toss or stir to combine. Add cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to combine.
To serve: Add dill and lemon juice to pan and toss. Divide between two bowls or pasta plates. Garnish each plate with a sprinkle of freshly cracked mixed peppercorns.
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