This salmon pasta recipe is easy and so delicious with a light rich garlic butter cream sauce with lemon, spaghettini and wild flaky salmon. A perfect week night meal and elegant dinner for two!
Sometimes all we want is a healthy, delicious and light dinner and this recipe definitely does that and more! When I can I prefer to use wild salmon in my recipes. Love the beautiful vibrant colour, the flavour is more intense and the texture is firm. Living in my area, it is difficult to get fresh salmon, most often it is previously frozen and if it is fresh, it tends to be farmed. So when I can find pacific wild salmon, I am all over it!
INGREDIENTS FOR THIS RECIPE
- Pasta: I used spaghettini as it is a thinner pasta, other options are orzo, spaghetti, penne, or rice
- Salmon: I used wild salmon; can substitute for Atlantic salmon, farmed or organic, coho, sockeye salmon
- Unsalted butter
- Seasonings: salt and pepper
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Heavy cream: can substitute for half and half cream or coconut cream
- Thyme
- Spinach
- Parsley
HOW MAKE THIS RECIPE
This recipe is simple and very easy to put together. I chose to bake the two filets of salmon as oppose to pan searing. By cooking the salmon in the oven, it allowed to get the pasta water going and start in the lemon garlic butter sauce.
Stove top option can easily be done, simply add olive oil to your skillet and once hot, add the salmon face down for 4-5 minutes. You can tell when it’s ready to flip when salmon filet can easily release from the pan. Cook it for another 4 minutes. Set aside and continue with the sauce. You may need to remove any skin pieces from the pan.
Preheat oven to 375℉.
Start by patting the salmon with paper towel, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes. The salmon should flake easily and internal temperature is 145℉. Remove from oven and break into pieces with fork and set aside.
The beauty of this recipe is you can have three things going at the same time. So while the salmon is in the oven….
Bring a large sauce pot of water to a boil, add salt and cook pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain.
Using a skillet, over medium heat, melt butter and add garlic, sauté for about 1 minute, long enough to release it’s fragrant. Add and whisk together lemon juice, heavy cream, thyme, 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water and spinach. Cook for about 1 minute until the sauce starts to bind and thicken. Season with salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes is desired. Toss in the pasta and coat with sauce. Add more pasta water is needed. Add salmon pieces.
Serve while it’s still hot. Garnish with fresh thyme and parsley.
DON'T WANT PASTA, TRY THESE DELICIOUS RECIPES...
As you can see I decided to serve it with pasta and here are other options:
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE…..
I would love to hear your feedback, reviews, suggestions and any modifications you made for this recipe and I know my readers would too!
Salmon Pasta with Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce
Equipment
- baking dish
- skillet
Ingredients
- 6 oz pasta, spaghettini
- salt
- 2-6 oz wild salmon filet
- salt and pepper
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 lemon, juice
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dry thyme)
- 1/2 cup pasta water, as needed
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Pat salmon with paper towel, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes. The salmon should flake easily and internal temperature is 145℉. Remove from oven and break into pieces with fork and set aside.
- Meanwhile, bring a sauce pot of water to a boil, add salt and cook pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- Using a skillet, over medium heat, melt butter and add garlic, sauté for about 1 minute, long enough to release it's fragrant. Add and whisk together lemon juice, heavy cream, thyme, 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water and spinach. Cook for about 1 minute until the sauce starts to bind and thicken. Season with salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes is desired. Toss in the pasta and coat with sauce. Add more pasta water is needed. Add salmon pieces.
- Serve immediately. Garnish with fresh thyme and parsley.
