Make this super creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta in less than 15 minutes. Yes, for real! With hot smoked salmon and lots of lemon it's a super simple yet elegant weeknight dinner with easy prep.
I’m not sure when I first made this creamy smoked salmon pasta, but I can’t remember a time when it wasn’t one of my go-to recipes. This is one of those dishes I make over and over again, and it's probably my favorite salmon recipe.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- It's quick and all done in under 15 minutes
- It's super easy to make: very little prep and a few simple steps
- Deliciously loaded with flavor from lemon & hot smoked salmon
- Super creamy sauce - but still a pretty light dish thanks to all that lemon
- A high sauce-to-pasta ratio so you get more sauce with less pasta (which I for one love!)
- Quick & easy enough for busy weeknights - but fancy enough for dinner parties and date nights!
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh tagliatelle: You can use fresh or dried pasta, but fresh cooks quicker. I recommend a long type of pasta like tagliatelle, but really anything works.
- Hot smoked salmon: You can also use cold smoked salmon or any leftover salmon (pan seared, air fryed or oven baked).
- Cream and crème fraîche: It's best with both, but in a pinch you can swap them for each other. If you only use cream, there's a higher risk of the sauce curdling, so keep that in mind and make sure to add the lemon juice slowly and in portions.
- Spinach: Either large leaves or baby spinach.
How To Make This Recipe
- Add cream & crème fraîche to a large pan and bring to a simmer
- Add spinach
- When the spinach has wilted down, add half the lemon juice, simmer 1 minute, then add the rest
- Add lemon zest
- Add black pepper, mix well, and simmer 2 minutes
- Mix in hot smoked salmon and simmer 1 minute to allow it to heat up
- Add almost-cooked pasta and pasta water
- Mix, and simmer together for 2 minutes until creamy and cohesive
Expert Tips
- Vary the amount of lemon juice to suit your taste. With the full amount stated in the recipe this dish tastes a lot of lemon and is high in acidity, which I love.
- Add your lemon juice in portions to minimize the risk of the cream curdling. It usually doesn't, thanks to the créme fraîche, but there's always a risk when using a lot of lemon juice with cream sauces.
- Salt your pasta water a lot - it should taste like the sea.
- Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes after adding the salmon and before adding the pasta, to allow the salmon to break apart and really melt into the sauce.
- Cook the pasta 1 minute less than the package instructions - it will finish cooking in the sauce and end up perfectly al dente
- Don't add any salt before mixing in your pasta & pasta water - you shouldn't need any, if your pasta water was salty enough.
Storing, Freezing & Reheating Instructions
Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Store leftovers in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Reheating stovetop: Place in a saucepan with a little bit of milk or cream, and place over medium heat, until hot and smooth.
Reheating in microwave: Reheat leftovers in the microwave in 1-second increments, stirring between each segment.
More 15-Minute Pasta Recipes
More Quick & Easy Salmon Recipes
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Recipe
Smoked Salmon Pasta with Spinach & Lemon
Print RateServings: 3
Calories: 783kcal
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup cream half and half or full fat
- ½ cup crème fraîche
- 3 handfuls fresh spinach large leaves or baby spinach
- 1 lemon zest of
- ½ cup lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅔ lb hot smoked salmon chopped; or cold smoked salmon
- ½ lb fresh tagliatelle or dried pasta; cooked 1 minute less than package instruction in heavily salted water
- ½ cups pasta water
Instructions
- Heat cream and crème fraîche in a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat.1 cup cream, ½ cup crème fraîche
- Add the spinach and cook until it has wilted down, stirring often.3 handfuls fresh spinach
- Add half the lemon juice, mix, and simmer for 1 minute. Then add the rest of the lemon juice, lemon zest and black pepper, taste test, and simmer for 2 minutes.1 lemon, ½ cup lemon juice, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Add the salmon to the sauce, mix, and simmer for 1 minute.⅔ lb hot smoked salmon
- Add the pasta and pasta water. Give it all a good mix and let it cook for 2 minutes. Ready to serve!½ lb fresh tagliatelle, ½ cups pasta water
Video
Notes
- Vary the amount of lemon juice to suit your taste. With the full amount stated in the recipe this dish tastes a lot of lemon and is high in acidity, which I love.
- Add your lemon juice in portions to minimize the risk of the cream curdling. It usually doesn't, thanks to the créme fraîche, but there's always a risk when using a lot of lemon juice with cream sauces.
- Don't add any salt before mixing in your pasta & pasta water - you shouldn't need any, if your pasta water was salty enough.
- Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Store leftovers in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Reheating stovetop: Place in a saucepan with a little bit of milk or cream, and place over medium heat, until hot and smooth.
- Reheating in microwave: Reheat leftovers in the microwave in 1-second increments, stirring between each segment.
Nutrition
Calories: 783kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 215mg | Sodium: 894mg | Potassium: 738mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4365IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 175mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
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Lowell Wickersham
I have made this basic dish many times. I smoke my salmon on a Trager grill for 4-6 hrs after brining for ! hour with course salt. depending on thickness. I use faffalli (sp)pasta but any type workes.
Sabeen N
Would canned salmon work here instead of the hot smoked salmon?
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Sabeen, I've never used canned salmon so I can't be sure. I don't think it would turn out as well as it doesn't have the same smokey taste, but you could definitely try it! /Emmeline
exki
It is also good to add some smoked paprika and/or cayenne chilli powder, for those who like that.
Emmeline Kemperyd
That sounds like a delicious addition! Thanks!
JHugg
Thank you for this well written and very tasty recipe. I'm not a fan of heavy cream sauces, but this isn't heavy, it's just right.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
I absolutely adore recipes like this that are quick to make without compromising on the flavors. My weekdays are pretty crazy and this is a perfect recipe for dinner. Being vegetarian, I might just add some broccoli.
Emmeline Kemperyd
Mm yeah switching the salmon for broccoli sounds delicious - will need to try that myself!!
Leanne - Crumb Top Baking
Dinner couldn't get much easier! Love that you added lots of spinach, and salmon and lemon are such a delicious pairing. This pasta looks like a hearty dish that's perfect for fall!
Emmeline Kemperyd
Thank you so much Leanne!! My favorite flavors & "hidden" veggies all in one dish 😀
Byron Thomas
We love dishes like this that come together so quickly and easily, especially after working all day and not have much energy left. It's the perfect pasta to eat on the couch with Netflix. 🙂 We used a store-bought rotisserie chicken instead of the salmon and it was divine!
Emmeline Kemperyd
Great idea with the chicken - I will have to try it!
Anjali @ The Picky Eater
What a beautiful and fresh pasta recipe!! I could see this being a perfect dish to serve at a dinner party! 🙂
Emmeline Kemperyd
It sure would be! Thank you Anjali!
Alison
The spinach, salmon, lemon and cream sauce go together perfectly. My kids are crazy for salmon and they devoured this pasta dish.
Emmeline Kemperyd
So happy to hear that Alison! Thank you for commenting!
Nicole
Wow this looks absolutely divine! And those process shots are incredible!!!! Wowowwowo!
Emmeline Kemperyd
Thank you so much Nicole! <3
Anita
This is so good and so easy. It has everything I love, spinach, lemon, and salmon. And it's not fussy since I only need one pan. And it's quite awesome to serve for special treat too. 🙂
Emmeline Kemperyd
Same here Anita! All my go-to ingredients 😉 And yeah apart from boiling the pasta you can make it all in one pot (maybe even the pasta now that I think off it?? Hmm gotta try this!)
SHANIKA
This Salmon Pasta looks so delicious and creamy! I'm loving the addition of the smoky Salmon flavor for sure! YUM!
Emmeline Kemperyd
Thank you Shanika!