Smoked salmon pasta is such an indulgent, luxurious dish. Pasta swimming in a thick and creamy sauce, fresh herbs that compliment the smoked salmon, and for a perfect salty crunch on top: crispy capers. You are going to LOVE (in all caps) this recipe.
Smoked salmon is one of my favorite foods for entertaining. Normally, it ends up on a charcuterie board, topped with red onion, crème fraiche, and dill. There is nothing wrong with this. It is fabulous. I can eat like 10 crostini's in a row and feel no shame.
But then I find myself wondering - how can I make this into a full meal?
Enter this pasta.
Easy, elegant, sophisticated. But most importantly, packed with flavor.
Creamy, decadent smoked salmon pasta is perfect for the end of a long work week, date night, or entertaining a crowd. Crispy capers top it off and give it a gourmet flourish.
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Why you're Going to Love this Meal
- It comes together in under half and hour!
- It's super easy to make.
- The flavor combo is perfect - and it delivers big-time impact.
- You feel like you should be eating this pasta at a five-star restaurant. Don't skimp on those crispy capers! They bring the entire dish together.
- Smoked salmon is just one of the best ingredients out there. It's so flavorful - and so awesome to bring smoky flavor into a pasta dish.
- It's perfectly balanced.
What Kind of Smoked Salmon Should I use?
For this recipe, you can use either hot or cold smoked salmon (see the differences below). I went with cold smoked, because I just prefer the flavor. However, this makes it a bit more difficult to cook. You want to add the cold smoked salmon right at the end and just toss it with the pasta so it doesn't cook through. You don't need to worry about this as much with hot smoked salmon (and it's also delicious).
Hot vs Cold Smoked Salmon
The difference between hot smoked and cold smoked salmon is the temperature it's smoked at. Cold smoked salmon has a fresher flavor, while hot smoked tends to be more smoky and sweet. The texture is also very different: cold smoked is more like raw salmon, while hot smoked is flaky and firm.
Ingredients
Here's what you're going to need to make this pasta:
- Your favorite dried pasta: I like a long slightly thicker noodle for this, like a fettucine or a tagliatelle, but by all means, use whatever you want. You can also use fresh, and homemade pasta is particularly great in this recipe!
- Capers: these little guys are the buds off a plant called capparis spinosa that grows in the Mediterranean and in some parts of Asia. They're usually pickled in brine - which gives them a salty, lemony flavor that's sort of similar (although no where near as strong) as an olive. We're going to crisp these up in some oil and they make the most delicious salty bite on top of the pasta!
- Garlic and shallot: the flavor based for the sauce.
- White wine: to deglaze the pan and add a slight hit of acidity.
- Heavy cream: the backbone of the sauce.
- Cream cheese: again, a slight tang, but it's going to give the most luxurious, silky smooth texture to the sauce.
- Reserved pasta water: this sauce is pretty thick, so we need some liquid to loosen it up a bit.
- Dill: I mean, you have to with salmon.
- Chives: see above. Plus these herbs add a much needed hit of freshness at the end of this dish.
How to Make Smoked Salmon Pasta
This pasta is very easy to make - but there are some key steps you can't skip.
Step 1: Start Cooking your Pasta
Add your pasta to a large pot of boiling, salted water. Cook according to package directions. If you can time this right with when the sauce will be done, it works well to just transfer the pasta directly from the pot to the sauce (rather than draining). Reserve about ½ cup of pasta water.
Step 2: Fry your Capers
This part is easy, but takes a couple of extra minutes. Heat your oil in a large sauté pan (this is the same pan we'll be making the sauce in). Once the oil is hot, add your capers. Stir them occasionally for about five minutes.
The capers should start to split in their skin, and you'll start to hear them crackle.
Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towel, and set aside.
Step 3: Cook the Aromatics
Drain all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan - and then add your shallots and garlic.
Cook them for about a minute, until you can smell the garlic.
Add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Reduce until almost all the liquid is gone.
Step 4: Add the Dairy
Add the cream and cream cheese. Break the cream cheese up into smaller chunks so it will melt a little faster. This should take about 10 minutes.
Step 5: Add Pasta
Add the pasta water, and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
Add the pasta, and toss to coat.
Step 6: Add the Salmon & Garnish
Add the smoked salmon and toss. Move the pasta to a serving platter or pasta bowl.
Sprinkle the crispy capers over the top of the pasta.
Garnish with the dill and chives.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure to reserve some extra pasta water so you can adjust the thickness of the sauce if necessary.
- Pick a wine that you would pair it with to cook with (see below for more details, but a Chardonnay or a Sauv Blanc would work well).
- Taste for salt near the end. I ALWAYS recommend tasting your sauces for seasoning - but it's particularly important for cream based pasta sauces. The cream tends to soak up a lot of that salt flavor, so you might need more than you think!
- DON'T SKIP THE CRISPY CAPERS. They take five minutes and take this dish from great to gourmet - I promise, you won't regret it!
How to Serve it
Smoked salmon paired with lighter fair (like lemon, dill, and crème fraiche) goes amazingly well with sparkling wine. But in a heavy, creamy pasta dish, we're looking for something that's going to hold up well against the pasta sauce.
Enter: Chardonnay. It has creamy, buttery notes in itself, but also can have a high acidity, which helps to cut through some of that richness.
Make sure you look for a lighter-bodied version - so younger, and unoaked as well.
If you're looking for a red - Pinot Noir is the way to go. Go for something a bit earthier to pair well with the smoky salmon flavor.
Storage and Reheating
This pasta can last up to two days in an airtight container in the fridge, but is definitely best enjoyed fresh.
Ok, I'm not going to lie to you. This pasta is difficult to reheat. The best way to do it is put it in the saucepan, over medium to medium-low heat, and add some more cream to loosen everything up. The key is not to overcook the smoked salmon, so keep a close eye on it!
Other Great Pasta Recipes to Try
📖 Recipe
Smoked Salmon Pasta with Crispy Capers
Ingredients
- 8 oz dried pasta such as tagliatelle or fettucine
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoon capers drained
- 2 shallots minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ C white wine
- 1 C heavy cream
- 4 oz cream cheese
- ½ C pasta water
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 C smoked salmon roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoon dill
- 2 tablespoon chives finely chopped
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package directions. Make sure to reserve ½ cup of pasta water for the sauce later on in the recipe.
- Heat the olive oil over medium high in a large sauté pan. When the oil is hot, add the capers. Fry the capers until their skins are starting to split (you'll also start to hear them crackling loudly). This will take about five minutes. Remove to a plate with paper towel and set aside.
- Drain all but 1 tablespoon of oil left in the pan. In the same pan over medium heat, add the shallot and the garlic. Cook until just fragrant, about one minute. Deglaze the pan with white wine. Reduce the wine until it's almost completely evaporated.
- Add the heavy cream, and the cream cheese. Break up the cream cheese into smaller pieces, and stir occasionally until it's melted (this could take up to 10 minutes). Add the salt and pepper. Taste, and then adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Add the reserve pasta water, and stir. Add the pasta to the pot and toss to combine.
- Add the smoked salmon, and toss the pasta again.
- Place pasta in a large serving bowl. Add dill, chives, and crispy capers to the top, and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Make sure to reserve some extra pasta water so you can adjust the thickness of the sauce if necessary.
- Pick a wine that you would pair it with to cook with (see below for more details, but a Chardonnay or a Sauv Blanc would work well).
- Taste for salt near the end. I ALWAYS recommend tasting your sauces for seasoning - but it's particularly important for cream based pasta sauces. The cream tends to soak up a lot of that salt flavor, so you might need more than you think!
- DON'T SKIP THE CRISPY CAPERS. They take five minutes and take this dish from great to gourmet - I promise, you won't regret it!
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Cara! I'm a food writer, journalist, and recipe developer. I'm obsessed good food, good wine, good cocktails and entertaining. I've picked up a few tips over the years, and love sharing them with others.
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