Creamy Salmon Pasta Recipe

5 from 5 votes

This Creamy Salmon Pasta is rich and flavorful, with creamy sauce studded with fresh chunks of orange.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 482kcal

Heat the grill or oven to 425°F degrees.
Season the salmon with the Cajun seasoning and brown sugar. Place on a cedar plank (or baking sheet).
Place the salmon direct on the grill or in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. It should be only partially cooked. Remove and let cool.
Slice the salmon into 2" pieces.
Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, reducing the time by about 1-2 minutes so the pasta is al dente. Set aside, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the garlic and shallots. Cook for about 2 minutes, until they become soft and just start to lightly brown.
Add the white wine and cook for 1 minute. Add the orange juice and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add the cream and cook about 3-5 minutes, until it is slightly reduced.
Add the pepper, basil and orange chunks and cook for 1 minute.
Add the salmon and simmer until salmon is almost cooked through, about 2-3 minutes. Add the salt (if needed).
Add the pasta, 3 tablespoons of the pasta cooking liquid, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese.

You can substitute any kind of pasta for the linguine if desired. I personally prefer the linguine as the sauce sticks to it perfectly.

Cooking the pasta al dente ensures that it does not get mushy when added back into the sauce to finish cooking.

Only cooking the salmon partially helps ensure that it does not dry out when added to the pasta sauce and cooked.

If the salmon comes already seasoned, you will want to omit the Cajun seasoning used in the recipe. Just add additional salt to taste as needed.

If the sauce is too thin, add 1 tablespoon of the pasta cooking water at a time until it starts to thicken.

If the sauce is too thick, add additional cream and/or chicken stock to thin it out. You may need to adjust the seasoning as adding more liquid will dilute it.

Make sure your pasta water is heavily salted - it should taste like the sea to add flavor to the pasta.

You can also use smoked salmon for this recipe - you may need to omit the salt as smoked salmon is saltier than fresh.