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This smoked salmon pasta is easy and irresistibly tasty, pairing the smoky fish with a creamy sauce, lemon, and fresh dill.
It’s hard to tire of the rich, buttery goodness of smoked salmon. It’s ideal for serving on bagels or as a smoked salmon appetizer. Here’s the newest way I’ve fallen hard for it: smoked salmon pasta!
Chewy al dente pasta is bathed with a creamy sauce punctuated by lemon zest, herbaceous dill, and smoked salmon. It’s hard not to be head over heels about this one! It’s extremely versatile; try it as an easy dinner, a fun brunch idea, or picnic pasta salad.
5 Star Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This is SOOOO good!!! So creamy, and the smoked salmon complements the cream cheese so well! All of your recipes are knocking it out of the park with my family!” -Catherine
Ingredients You’ll Need
This smoked salmon pasta is designed as a fast and easy meal, using a totally no-cook protein: smoked salmon! It’s simple to add to the pasta after you cook it, using cream cheese to make a quick, creamy sauce. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Protein: Cold-smoked salmon (aka lox, with a soft texture) or hot-smoked salmon (flaky and more like cooked fish)
- Staples: Short cut pasta like penne, rigatoni, or farfalle, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper
- Dairy: Cream cheese and grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh ingredients: Lemon zest and dill
Tips for Smoked Salmon Pasta
This recipe is as easy as they come. Boil the pasta, add the sauce ingredients, stir, and add the smoked salmon! There are a few things to note about the method and what to expect. Here’s what to know:
- Make sure the pasta is cooked to al dente. This means “to the bite” in Italian; ideally, when it’s tender with a small white speck inside when you bite into a piece. Boil it for a few minutes less than the package instructions indicate, and start taste-testing early!
- Save the pasta water! This ingredient will be used to make a creamy sauce. It’s easy to forget (been there), so my mom shared a tip with me. Place a liquid measuring cup inside your strainer. When you dump the pasta, this will help you remember to remove the liquid!
- The texture is best when served immediately. This smoked salmon pasta is best when the pasta is freshly cooked, and it’s warm, especially since you use the pasta water to help create the sauce. You can eat it later, but it will get drier. More on that below!
Hot vs Cold Smoked Salmon
What’s the difference between hot-smoked and cold-smoked salmon? Hot smoking flavors the salmon and cooks it at the same time, whereas cold smoking imparts flavors without fully cooking it. Cold-smoked salmon (lox) has a buttery, smooth texture, whereas hot-smoked salmon is flaky and cooked through.
You can use either type of salmon in this pasta recipe. Cold-smoked has a very strong, smoky flavor. But hot-smoked salmon works great here, thanks to its flaky texture! You can also make Homemade Hot-Smoked Salmon if you have an outdoor smoker, which really takes this fish to the next level.
Leftovers and Storage Instructions
Want to save this smoked salmon pasta for later, or make it in advance? Here’s what to know:
- Make-ahead tip: The best way to prep in advance? Measure out all your sauce ingredients and place them in a covered container in the fridge. Then cook the pasta and dump it in when you’re ready to serve.
- Leftovers become dry with refrigeration. They store up to 3 days refrigerated, but you’ll notice the texture becomes drier. You can reheat the pasta with a splash of water on the stovetop, and revive the flavors with a pinch or two of salt.
And that’s it! I hope you love this smoked salmon pasta as much as I do. It disappeared very quickly at the dinner I recently made for my parents!
Dietary Notes
This recipe is pescatarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta.
Smoked Salmon Pasta
This smoked salmon pasta is easy and irresistibly tasty, pairing the smoky fish with a creamy sauce, lemon and fresh dill.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne (or other short-cut pasta like rigatoni, farfalle, etc.)
- ½ cup cream cheese (1/2 8-ounce block)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 6 to 8 ounces smoked salmon*, flaked into pieces with a fork
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until it is al dente, testing a few minutes before the package instructions indicate. Using a glass liquid measuring cup, reserve 1 cup of the hot pasta water, then drain the pasta.
- Return the pasta to the pot. Add the cream cheese (broken into dollops), olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and a few grinds black pepper. Pour in ½ cup of the pasta water and toss until a creamy sauce forms, adding a splash of additional water as necessary to come to a creamy consistency.
- Add the smoked salmon (flaked into pieces with a fork), lemon zest, and fresh dill. Gently mix, adding another splash of pasta water so that it’s creamy. Serve immediately. (Leftovers store up to 3 days refrigerated, but you’ll notice the texture becomes drier. You can reheat the pasta with a splash of water on the stovetop, and revive the flavors with a pinch or two of salt.)
Notes
*Use either cold-smoked salmon (aka lox, with a soft texture) or hot-smoked (which is flaky and more like cooked fish).
No instructions for cooking salmon? Lame
Are you kidding??? It uses SMOKED SALMON, a.k.a. LOX. Did you not read the recipe notes or ingredients? LAME!!! LOL.
I made this for dinner tonight and the recipe was so easy and awesome. I substituted lime for the lemon and added the fresh squeezed lime juice. I used fresh roasted garlic instead of garlic powder and added fresh cilantro. This is definitely a keeper for making again. I made my own cold smoked salmon for this and my husband loved the flavor. I think next time I will add fresh chives and green onion too. Thank you for sharing your recipe. This dish is so full of flavor.
This is SOOOO good!!! So creamy and the smoked salmon compliments the cream cheese so well! All of your recipes are knocking it out of the park with my family!
Thank you! So glad you are loving them.
Hi, I made this with some very good smoked wild salmon. Followed recipe exactly. I think it is kind of a waste of good smoked salmon. This is a pass for me.
Thanks for recipe! Its very tasty and easy
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