Lemon Butter Salmon Pasta

This lemon butter salmon pasta is packed with flavor and incredibly easy to make! It has a lush sauce made with lemon, butter and garlic and delicious pieces of smoked salmon for the perfect weeknight meal.

Lemon and butter are a wonderful combo for a pasta sauce, and when you add smoked salmon into the mix, you’re on your way to pasta heaven!

This lemon butter salmon pasta is a super easy yet amazingly delicious recipe that’s ready in just 15 minutes.

You need only a handful of ingredients to make it, and all of them (except for the smoked salmon) are staples that you may already have in the kitchen.

This is a naturally creamy pasta as the sauce thickens from the starch in the pasta. It’s the easiest recipe to try if you are looking to make smoked salmon pasta without cream.

Why you’ll love this lemon butter salmon pasta

• You can have it on the table in just 15 minutes.
• The lemon, garlic and smoked salmon flavors are incredible together.
• You can use any other kind of salmon you like.

What goes into lemon butter salmon sauce

Olive oil — Use a quality extra virgin olive oil for this pasta sauce for the best flavor.

Butter — Unsalted butter is best for this sauce — you can easily adjust the seasoning at the end.

Onion — Both regular yellow onions and shallots work in this sauce. Make sure you dice it finely so it becomes translucent quickly.

Garlic — Feel free to adjust the garlic quantity to your liking. You can mince, crush or chop the garlic finely with a sharp knife.

Lemon — It’s best to use unwaxed lemons when you zest them. You’ll need the juice and zest of a medium lemon for this pasta sauce.

Red chili flakes — Only add red chili flakes if you want your pasta to have a bit of a kick.

Smoked salmon — You can make this pasta with smoked salmon or hot smoked salmon. Alternatively, make it with fresh salmon that you’ve previously baked in the oven or with any salmon leftovers.

Pasta — I used linguine, but spaghetti or tagliatelle are also great options for this lemon butter salmon sauce.

How to make smoked salmon pasta without cream

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it generously and cook the pasta al dente according to the directions on the package. Reserve a couple of cups of pasta water before draining.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan and melt the butter in it.

Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat.

Stir in the garlic, lemon zest, red chili flakes and lemon juice and cook for another minute.

Transfer the cooked pasta to the pan and use a pair of kitchen tongs to toss it. Add some of the reserved pasta water until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.

Stir in the smoked salmon and fresh parsley, then season to taste and serve immediately.

Recipe notes and tips

• You need extra starchy pasta water to make the sauce naturally creamy, so it’s a good idea to cook the pasta in half the amount of water you usually do.
• There is no Parmesan in this pasta recipe because cheese is not traditionally added to seafood pasta. However, if you like the combination, stir some grated Parmesan at the end or sprinkle some on individual bowls before serving.
• This pasta dish is best served immediately.

If you liked this lemon butter salmon pasta, you might also like some of my other quick and easy pasta recipes:

• Chicken Tomato Pasta
• Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta
• Creamy Paprika Chicken Pasta
• Sausage Broccolini Pasta
• Tuscan White Bean Pasta

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