Easy Smoked Salmon Pasta

An easy and creamy pasta dish that is ready in just 10 minutes. This Smoked Salmon Pasta is light and fresh, with minimal ingredients and easy to adapt. It's zesty and herby and just the kind of delicious pasta meal you need for an easy summer meal, or something to impress guests with.

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I have been making variations of this meal since I was a student nearly 20 years ago. It is quick, filling and budget friendly, so it ticked all the boxes for a student meal.

This version is a bit more "grown up" and is bulked out with some vegetables and added flavours, but still just as easy to make.

Looking for more seafood pasta dishes? Try our Sardine Pasta, Mackerel Pasta or Tuna Spaghetti.

Ingredients and Substitutions

A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

• Pasta - We used fresh tagliatelle for this recipe, as it cooks in under 5 minutes which keeps the whole recipes down to under 10 minutes including prep time. However, you could use any pasta you like. You could use spaghetti, or you could use another pasta shape like penne or fusilli.
• Broccoli - We love anything that we can add some green vegetables and broccoli always goes well with salmon we think. We used tenderstem, as it cooks quickly and it takes the same amount of time as the tagliatelle, so we put it in at the same time. If you don't have tenderstem then regular would work, you would just need to cut it into really small pieces so it cooks at the same time as the pasta.
• Creme fraiche - Who doesn't love a creamy pasta dish?! Whilst some of the creaminess comes from reserving some of the pasta water (essential in our opinion), we gave it a bit of a creamy boost with a couple of spoons of creme fraiche. We used reduced fat, but you could use full fat. You could also swap this for ricotta or cream cheese instead. When I used to make this in my student days, I used cream cheese as it is much cheaper. So that's an option if you are looking to make this super budget friendly.
• Parmesan - Just to add to that creaminess, we added some cheese. Whilst cheese and fish don't traditionally go together in a pasta dish, we think this works well. Just a little bit of parmesan adds a nice sharp flavour. You could swap it for a mature cheddar instead.
• Lemon - A squeeze of lemon juice in this smoked salmon pasta, and it lightens the whole thing up. You could even add some lemon zest too if you really love lemon.
• Rocket (arugula) - This gives the dish a nice little green veggie boost and a nice peppery flavour. You could swap it for spinach if you prefer.
• Smoked salmon - The star of the dish. We used cold smoked salmon (lox), rather than cured salmon, but that would work too. Try to buy the best quality you can, as it really does make a difference. However, if you are on a budget, then smoked salmon trimmings would work too. You could also use a grilled and flaked salmon fillet instead if you prefer. Canned salmon would also work.
• Dill - Salmon and dill are the perfect match. Fresh is always best and a little goes a long way. You could swap dill for chives instead.

Variations

We love a dish that can be adapted, and there are so many different ways you can change this dish. From adding different vegetables, to other ways to make it creamy and even some alternatives to the salmon. Here are our favourite variations.

Vegetables - If there just aren't enough vegetables in this for you, then here are some others that we like adding. Cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, roasted peppers, capers, asparagus, spinach, peas or olives.

Creamy - Creme fraiche makes this smoked salmon pasta nice and creamy, but still light. However, you could swap it for yoghurt, cream cheese or ricotta

Salmon - Smoked salmon is the star of this dish. However, if that isn't your thing then you could grill and flake a salmon fillet, or even use a can of salmon. Canned tuna would work too. This recipe would also work with grilled chicken breast.

Step by Step

One: Add the pasta and broccoli to a pan of boiling water. Simmer for 4 minutes.

Two: Drain the pasta and broccoli, reserving about 2 tablespoons of pasta water.

Three: Return the pasta and broccoli to the pan (containing the pasta water) and add all the remaining ingredients. Mix well and serve.

What to Serve it With

Everyone know that garlic bread and pasta are a match made in heaven. Carby heaven! Either buy some ready made, or make your own easy garlic bread by cutting up some French stick and spreading it with a mix of butter, crushed garlic and dried herbs. Then pop it in the oven for 10 minutes.

You could also keep it simple with a big green salad. The key to an epic green salad is to use a variety of greens, like romaine, spinach, kale and rocket. You want leafy greens, but crunch too. Then you need the perfect dressing. Why not try our Lemon Vinaigrette, Honey and Mustard Dressing or Tomato and Basil Vinaigrette. You could also try our Grilled Little Gem Salad.

Here are some other side dishes that would compliment this hot smoked salmon pasta well:

• Balsamic and Garlic Roasted Cauliflower
• Roasted Lemon Asparagus
• Broccoli Salad
• Roasted Garlic and Herb Mushrooms
• Spanish Olives
• Beetroot and Goats Cheese Salad
• Grilled Corn with Herb Butter

Frequently Asked Questions

Recipe

Easy Smoked Salmon Pasta

By: Dannii Martin

This Smoked Salmon Pasta is light and fresh, with minimal ingredients and easy to adapt.

5 from 5 votes

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Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: British, Italian

Prep: 2 minutes mins

Cook: 5 minutes mins

Total: 7 minutes mins

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 589kcal

Allergens:

Dairy

Fish

Gluten

Ingredients

• ▢ 250 g (9 oz) Fresh tagliatelle
• ▢ 100 g (3.5 oz) Tenderstem broccoli
• ▢ 3 tablespoon Reduced fat crème fraîche
• ▢ 1 Lemon - juice only
• ▢ Sea salt and ground black pepper
• ▢ 4 g (0.33 cups) Fresh dill
• ▢ 15 g (3 tablespoon) Parmesan - grated
• ▢ 30 g (1.5 cups) Rocket (arugula)
• ▢ 120 g (4.25 oz) Smoked salmon

For ingredient swaps, see our Ingredients and Substitutions section

Instructions

• Add 250 g Fresh tagliatelle and 100 g Tenderstem broccoli to a pan of boiling water. Simmer for 4 minutes.
• Drain the pasta and broccoli, reserving about 2 tablespoons of pasta water.
• Return the pasta and broccoli to the pan (containing the pasta water) and add 3 tablespoon Reduced fat crème fraîche, juice of 1 Lemon, Sea salt and ground black pepper, 4 g Fresh dill, 15 g Parmesan, 30 g Rocket (arugula) and 120 g Smoked salmon.
• Mix well and serve.

Recipe Tips

• If you don't have tenderstem broccoli, then regular would work, you would just need to cut it into really small pieces so it cooks at the same time as the pasta.
• You can swap the creme fraiche for cream cheese or ricotta.
• Top with some pine nuts for added crunch.
• Add some extra greens by cooking some peas at the same time as the pasta and broccoli.

Nutritional Information

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 589kcal | Carbohydrates: 90g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 662mg | Potassium: 720mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1022IU | Vitamin C: 77mg | Calcium: 205mg | Iron: 4mg

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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.

As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.