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This Smoked Salmon Pasta recipe feels like a dinner for a special occasion, but it’s easy enough to whip up on a busy weeknight. Smoky salmon and fettuccine are tossed in a creamy lemon-infused sauce to create an irresistible dish!
Smoked salmon is one of my favorite weeknight dinner hacks. Starting with a pre-cooked protein gets dinner on the table faster, and smoked salmon is so delicious, it doesn’t taste like a shortcut. This smoked salmon creamy pasta is the perfect example.
It’s a dish that comes together with minimal prep and cooking time, but it’s impressive enough to serve for a date night-in or dinner party with friends.
If you’re looking for more pasta recipes like this, check out our buffalo chicken casserole, creamy pesto pasta, Boursin pasta, chicken bacon ranch casserole, and creamy chicken pasta.
Ingredients
This recipe has:
- Dry fettuccine noodles – Fettuccine is fantastic with creamy sauces, but broad pappardelle noodles also do a great job standing up to rich sauces.
- Unsalted butter
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Shallots – If shallots aren’t available, yellow onions are the best substitute.
- All-purpose flour
- White cooking wine – Cheap cooking wine is perfect here. Using a bottle you already have in your stash? You’ll want a dry white wine like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.
- Chicken stock – You can use vegetable broth instead if you prefer.
- Heavy cream
- Lemon – You’ll need the juice and the zest; zest the lemon before juicing it.
- Shredded Parmesan
- Smoked salmon – Butcher Box has fantastic wild-caught smoked sockeye salmon.
Instructions
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
Bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the dried fettuccine and cook until al dente; this will be about 10 minutes, but follow the instructions on the package if they differ.
When the pasta is done cooking, reserve 1/4 cup of water and drain the rest. Add the reserved water back to the pan with the fettuccine.
While the pasta boils, you’re going to make the sauce because you’re efficient! Melt the butter in a large skillet set over medium-low heat.
Add the olive oil, garlic, and shallots. Stir until the shallots soften and are beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour over the garlic and shallots and whisk to combine. Cook for 3 minutes, whisking often.
Slowly whisk in the white wine, chicken stock, heavy cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese.
Increase the temperature to medium and whisk constantly while the sauce cooks at a near boil for 2 minutes.
Reduce the heat and add the fettuccine with the pasta water, along with the smoked salmon. Toss with tongs to combine. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the salmon is warmed through.
Top the smoked salmon pasta with fresh chopped parsley and grated pecorino or Parmesan, then serve.
RECIPE VARIATIONS & OPTIONAL ADDINS
- Add capers for some briny, tangy flavor in your smoked salmon pasta.
- Use whole wheat fettuccine noodles to work some extra whole grains into your dinner.
- Substitute heavy cream with half and half for a lighter version. The sauce will be a bit thinner, but it will still be delicious! If you use any milk product that is lower in fat than heavy cream, you will want to warm it before adding it to the pan. This will prevent the cream sauce from curdling.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! You can easily make this recipe gluten-free by using your favorite gluten-free pasta. The cooking times will vary based on the pasta brand.
Gluten-free pasta tends to dry out more than wheat pasta when reheating. If you plan to reheat this for leftovers, I would increase the amount of pasta water used to 1/3 cup and the heavy cream to 1 cup.
You would also need to use a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour in place of the all-purpose flour, or use cornstarch.
Yes!
You can use your favorite non-dairy butter and cream. Plant-based unflavored creamer would work well as would a cashew cream base. If you need instructions on how to make your own cashew cream, you can find them in this post on vegan aioli.
Leave the Parmesan cheese out or replace it with a plant-based option.
If you consume dairy but need a lactose-free option, lactose-free milk or cream will also work beautifully in this dish.
PRO TIPS/RECIPE NOTES
- Use a fine microplane zester to zest the lemon. Small bits of zest are more pleasant to eat and they also mean the flavor is more evenly distributed throughout the dish. Save the leftover lemon by following our tutorial on how to freeze lemons.
- Don’t forget to reserve the pasta water before draining the noodles! The starchy water is great for creating a smooth, creamy sauce that coats the pasta perfectly.
- Be sure to cook the flour with the shallots and garlic for a full 3 minutes. Rushing this step will give your sauce a raw flour taste.
- Stream in the liquids slowly when making the cream sauce for this smoked salmon pasta. Dumping them in all at once results in a lumpy sauce.
- If you use any milk product that is lower in fat than heavy cream, you will want to warm it before adding it to the pan. This will prevent the cream sauce from curdling.
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT
Storing Leftovers:
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating Leftovers:
To reheat leftover smoked salmon pasta, simply microwave individual portions or warm them up on the stovetop over medium-low heat. If the sauce has thickened too much, add a splash of milk or cream to thin it out.
Pro tip: If you work in an office setting, don’t be THAT person who reheats a fish dish in the microwave.
Freezing Leftovers:
Smoked salmon pasta is best enjoyed fresh, but if you do need to freeze leftovers, they’ll keep in an airtight container or freezer bag for 2 to 3 months. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and warm according to instructions above.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS RECIPE
This smoked salmon pasta dish can be enjoyed on its own as a satisfying main dish, but it also pairs well with a variety of sides. Here are some of my favorites:
- A salad with a citrus-based dressing will keep things light.
- Simple vegetable sides like Frozen Broccoli in the Air Fryer, Instant Pot Asparagus, or Air Fryer Green Beans.
- Crusty bread like No Knead Dutch Oven Bread to mop up any leftover sauce on your plate.
Smoked Salmon Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 oz dry fettuccine noodles
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic {finely minced}
- 2 tbsp shallots {finely minced}
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup white cooking wine
- 3/4 cup chicken stock {sub in vegetable broth if needed}
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp lemon zest {~1 medium lemon}
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
- 6 oz smoked salmon
Instructions
- In a large saucepan bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil.
- Add fettuccine noodles and cook until al dente, ~10 minutes. Make the sauce while the pasta cooks.16 oz dry fettuccine noodles
- Drain all but ¼ cup of water from the fettuccine. Keep noodles in the saucepan with 1/4 cup of pasta water.
- In a large deep frying pan melt butter over medium-low heat.3 tbsp unsalted butter
- Add olive oil, garlic, and shallots. Stir until shallots are starting to soften, and a few of the pieces are starting to brown.~5 minutes.2 tbsp olive oil, 6 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp shallots
- Sprinkle flour over the top of the garlic and shallots, and whisk to combine. Cook for 3 minutes, whisking often.1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- Slowly whisk in white wine, chicken stock, heavy cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and Parmesan whisking constantly to incorporate.1/4 cup white cooking wine, 3/4 cup chicken stock, 3/4 cup heavy cream, 1 tbsp lemon zest, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
- Increase the temperature to medium heat and whisk constantly while it cooks at a near boil for 2 minutes.
- Reduce heat and add the cooked fettuccine noodles, ¼ cup pasta water, and pieces of smoked salmon to the lemon butter mixture. Use tongs to combine the pasta and sauce.6 oz smoked salmon
- Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until salmon is warmed through.
- Top pasta with fresh chopped parsley and grated pecorino or Parmesan.
Notes
- Noodles – I used fettuccine but sub in your favorites. Follow cooking time on the package.
- Gluten-free – use gluten-free pasta and sub in gluten-free flour OR 2 tsp of cornstarch instead of 1 tbsp of all-purpose flour for the sauce.
- Dairy-free- if you need to make this dairy-free, use all olive oil or a dairy-free butter and leave out the Parmesan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
