🧡 Creamy smoked salmon pasta
Time: (serves 2–3)
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
🛒 Ingredients:
250 g (9 oz) of pasta (linguine, fettuccine or penne)
200 g (7 oz) of sliced smoked salmon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small onion or shallot, finely chopped
1 cup (240 ml) of heavy cream
½ cup (120 ml) of milk (optional, for a lighter sauce).
Zest of ½ lemon
1–2 teaspoons of lemon juice (to taste).
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
¼ teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill or chives
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
👩🍳 Instructions:
Cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta al dente according to the package instructions.
Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, then drain.
Make the sauce base: heat olive oil and butter in a large pan over a medium heat.
Add the onion and cook for 2–3 minutes until soft.
Stir in the garlic and cook for a further 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add the cream, then lower the heat and pour in the heavy cream (and milk, if using).
Simmer gently for 3–5 minutes until slightly thickened.
Season and flavour the sauce by adding lemon zest, lemon juice, black pepper and chilli flakes (if using).
Taste and carefully adjust the salt, bearing in mind that smoked salmon is already salty.
Gently fold in the smoked salmon and cook for 1–2 minutes (do not overcook).
Combine with pasta
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce.
Toss well, adding a little of the reserved pasta water at a time until the sauce coats the pasta perfectly.
Remove from the heat and serve. Stir in the fresh dill or chives.
Top with Parmesan if desired.
🌟 Tips & variations
Add spinach or peas for extra colour and nutrition.
Swap the cream for crème fraîche for a tangy twist.
Use wholemeal pasta for a heartier version.