Salmon Linguine

Salmon Linguine is a quick and easy recipe perfect any night of the week! With juicy tender flaked salmon pieces and a creamy cheesy sauce this tasty combination is one you will return to again and again. This salmon linguine alfredo can get a quick dinner sorted in around 15 minutes!

Recipes like the Rigatoni Alfredo, Spaghetti with Alfredo Sauce and Penne Alfredo are all about this delicious garlicky cheesy pasta.

The Grilled Chicken Alfredo, Salmon Fettuccine and Meatballs Alfredo add more protein to the mix by adding chicken, smoked salmon or beef meatballs.

🤍 Recipe Highlights

I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the creamy salmon pasta recipe in the points below:

• Simple ingredients: all of the ingredients that you will need to make this recipe will be readily available at your local grocery store.
• Comfort food: this simple dish is full of flavor. From the garlic, to the butter, cream, cheese and pasta, you will be ticking all of the comfort food boxes.
• Fuss free: this simple seafood pasta takes minimal effort to bring together, yet delivers a delicious dinner with texture and creamy yum all at the same time.
• Versatile: this a basic creamy pasta recipe that works. Adding the salmon brings a salty tenderness with additional protein to the dish.
• Cost effective: this creamy salmon pasta will let you stick to your budget! You can purchase home brand pasta which costs next to nothing, same for the cream, butter and you will likely already have salt and pepper in the cupboard. The salmon will be the most pricey ingredient, yet 2 fillets works across 4 main sized servings of the dish.

🥗 Ingredients

The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the creamy salmon linguine recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.

As you can see the recipe calls for:

• Olive oil: we use a little bit of olive oil to cook the salmon in a frying pan on the stove top.
• Basil: this is optional, yet a great way to garnish the finished dish by adding a few leaves of fresh basil and in turn a couple of pops of additional colour.
• Black pepper: we use salt and a little bit of black pepper to season the salmon as well as black pepper to garnish the dish for serving.
• Butter: this forms the basis of how we make the creamy alfredo sauce. Unsalted is best as we use salt both to season the salmon as well as being its own ingredient in the sauce.
• Garlic: you can use fresh garlic cloves, finely diced or chopped or minced garlic. It gets cooked in the melted butter to enhance the flavour within the sauce.
• Salt: we add this when we are frying off the garlic.
• Cream: heavy cream is what we need. It is the key ingredient in the white pasta sauce. This is different to dollop, whipped or cream cheese.
• Parmesan cheese: known for having a bold, sharp taste, this cheese is best freshly grated using a microplane zester.
• Salmon: we need 2 skinless boneless fillets of fresh salmon.
• Linguine: a flat pasta which is less wide than fettuccine. It is excellent to use in sauce based recipes as the sauce really clings to the width of the pasta 😁👍.

Tasty Tip: I like to provide you with a number of substitutions and variations giving you an array of options when making the recipe. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section (further below) before jumping into the instructions on how to make the recipe which are coming next 😉👌.

🍳 Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by cooking the salmon.

• Cook the salmon (Photo 1)
• Absorb the excess oil (Photo 2)
• Add the butter to the pan and melt (Photo 3)
• Add the garlic and salt and cook (Photo 4)

👩‍🍳 How to Make Salmon Linguine

Start by placing a large saute pan or frying pan on the stove, turning the heat to high and adding the olive oil.

Next use kitchen tongs to place salmon fillets into the pan. Cook each fillet for 4 - 5 minutes then use the tongs to flip to the other side. Cook the second side of each fillet for 4-5 minutes also then use kitchen tongs to remove the fillets and place them onto a paper towel lined chopping board.

Next use a folded piece of paper towel and the kitchen tongs to absorb the excess oil in the frying pan. Then discard it.

Start to make the creamy salmon pasta sauce by adding the butter to the pan (high heat) and letting it melt. Once melted add the garlic and salt and cook, stirring occasionally for 1 minute.

Once the garlic has turned golden brown pour the heavy cream into the pan, followed by the parmesan cheese.

Next, reduce the heat and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.

• Flake the salmon (Photo 5)
• Pour in the cream (Photo 6)
• Add the parmesan cheese (Photo 7)
• Then add the reserved pasta water (Photo 8)

Next, remove the paper towel under the cooked salmon fillets and use a fork to flake them.

You can also use this time to get started on cooking the pasta.

Place a large pan of salted water on the stove top. Then read and follow the instructions on the linguine packet to cook it. Moments before it is al dente (a little bit chewy) use a heatproof jug to scoop out 1 to 2 cups of the pasta water.

Then use a colander over the sink to drain the rest of the pasta water and discard.

• Add cooked pasta (Photo 9)
• Then add the reserved pasta water (Photo 10)
• Add the flaked salmon (Photo 11)
• Then toss and garnish the dish (Photo 12)

Once the creamy parmesan sauce is combined, add the cooked linguine, ½ cup of pasta water and then use the tongs to toss the pasta through the sauce.

Next add the flaked salmon to the tossed linguine and stir to gently combine.

Once tossed, you can get your garnish on sprinkling the combined pasta and salmon with black pepper, freshly grated parmesan cheese and some basil leaves.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

This dish is perfect (and filling) to eat on its own. Yet if you are after sides or breads, I have some suggestions!

Try the Turkish Garlic Bread, Garlic Ciabatta or the Garlic Pizza Bread for a garlicky bread side.

Or the Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad, Tomato Bread Salad or Fresh Herb Salad for a side salad.

If you want pizza and pasta try the Ciabatta Pizza or the Bruschetta Pizza, both work well when feeding a crowd.

Or if you want a spread of pizza, pasta and ribs, try pairing the pasta with the Sticky Pork Ribs, Oven Baked Pork Ribs or the Beef Ribs.

Otherwise, you will likely find with the garnish tying the dish together, you are about ready to grab some forks and dive on in!

This is definitely a dish that tastes better cooked and eaten straight away as the creamy sauce is at its finest, fresh off the stove!

👍 How to Guide

How to Store

Store leftovers of the salmon linguine in a sealed, airtight container in the fridge. They can be refrigerated for 2 days and are best reheated prior to consuming.

How to Freeze

Allow the dish to fully cool. Then portion into air tight containers or zip lock bags, squeeze the air out then seal. Frozen portions of the dish can be kept in the freezer for 3 months.

How to Reheat

Allow frozen portions to fully thaw in the fridge overnight or on the bench during the day before reheating. Reheat in the microwave (fastest) covered for 3 to 4 minutes. Or you can add the cooked alfredo pasta with salmon back to a pan on the stove, turn to medium heat and stir till the pasta is heated through.

😉 Substitutions and Variations

Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:

• You can add some drained (not rinsed) capers if you wish too.
• You can use pecorino romano in place of the parmesan cheese if you like.
• For an alternative to the basil as garnish fresh parsley or fresh dill will work well.
• For additional vegetables you can add some cherry tomatoes, spinach leaves or arugula. These are best added when adding the hot pasta as they will quickly soften, wilt and combine with the pasta.
• Try spaghetti or fettuccine as alternatives to the linguine or use your favorite pasta.

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:

• We don't season salmon with salt and pepper as we use those 2 ingredients for the sauce or garnish. We don't want to make the dish 'too salty' with additional salt, so in the sauce is plenty for the salt 😁👌.
• It is best to cook the sauce as a starting point as we want to add the cooked hot pasta to the pan without it sitting in the sink in the colander for too long (it will start to stick together).
• When cooking the sauce, we want to reduce the temperature. If you see bubbles at the edge of the pan, you need to reduce the temperature even further.
• If the sauce is combined but the pasta is still cooking give the sauce a couple of stirs to ensure that it doesn't start to get a cheese layer on top and you will see that it will come together again very easily.
• It is super easy to flake the cooked salmon. A fork is all you need and it will easily fall apart with a little movement.
• For extra garnish ideas, try some sliced lemon wedges for squeezing over the top of the pasta!

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between spaghetti and linguine?

Spaghetti and linguine are both long pastas. The difference between them is that spaghetti is round and narrow whereas linguine is flat and slightly wide.

Is alfredo better with linguine or fettuccine?

Linguine and fettuccine are both excellent pastas to use with alfredo. Due to their flat wide shape, the sauce clings to the cooked pasta.

How long does salmon alfredo last in the fridge?

Salmon alfredo can be kept for 2-3 days in the fridge and needs to be reheated before being consumed.

😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes

Dinner can be easy breezy and the most enjoyable thing you do all day. To achieve this it helps to have a wide variety of recipes up your sleeve offering different tastes, textures, cook times and proteins. Here are some I hope that you will love:

• Linguine Bolognese
• Mince Pasta Bake
• Spinach and Feta Pizza
• Air Fryer Chicken Meatballs
• Penne Pesto
• Air Fryer Tortilla Pizza
• Thai Minced Pork
• Marinated Chicken Thighs
• Pork Meatballs In Tomato Sauce
• Mexican Beef Soup

It is time to get our salmon on my friend! You can also find all of my pasta recipes and dinner recipes in the one spot.

Adrianne

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