Salmon Alfredo
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The all popular Alfredo sauce kicked up a notch with some delicious smoked salmon and tossed with your favorite pasta. This Salmon Alfredo really is incredibly easy and simple to make and ready in less than 30 minutes! Quick, delicious, perfect for any night of the week!
Salmon Alfredo
This is a recipe that I first shared with you almost 10 years ago and thought it was time to revamp it a bit and remind you guys about it, because it’s a true gem! If you love a good Alfredo pasta, then you’ll love this version with smoked salmon.
If you ask yourself why salmon though, there really is an easy answer to this. Smoked salmon flavors this sauce so nicely, it provides it with extra saltiness and a distinctive smoky flavor. It really is a party in your mouth. It’s so good, you’ll have a hard time stopping yourself from eating this.
Besides the great flavor this salmon Alfredo has, I love this pasta because it’s super quick to make. About 12 minutes to cook the pasta, then less than 5 minutes to make the sauce and toss everything together, making this the perfect dinner for any night of the week.
What You Need To Make Salmon Alfredo
- Butter – Unsalted as to control the sodium content of our dish.
- Garlic – Just a couple cloves of garlic to flavor our sauce.
- Heavy Cream – We’re using heavy cream to form a beautiful creamy sauce.
- Parmesan Cheese – Lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese is a must in an Alfredo sauce.
- Smoked Salmon – I used hot smoked salmon that I usually get at Costco. It comes in thinly sliced fillets in vacuum sealed packets. It’s usually in a big box with a few packets inside. It’s really good and great in so many dishes, or on just some salmon cream cheese bagels.
- Herbs – I love the addition of some fresh thyme in this dish.
- Seasoning – A bit of salt and pepper to taste.
- Pasta – You can use any pasta such as penne, elbow, shells or even spaghetti or fettuccine.
How To Make Salmon Alfredo
- Cook the pasta: Cook the pasta in a large pot with salted boiling water according to the instructions on the package. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- Make the Alfredo sauce: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until aromatic. Stir in the cream and bring to a gentle boil. Add the ½ cup of pasta water and stir. Reduce heat to low. Add the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper; stir until the sauce is smooth.
- Toss everything together: Add the pasta and salmon to the saucepan and toss it well with the cream. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with fresh thyme and serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we use pasta water?
Pasta water will add flavor and seasoning to your dish (you’re always making sure to salt your pasta water right?). It will also help thicken our sauce and ensure the sauce sticks to our pasta. It will also add a sheen to your sauce, so be sure to always reserve a little bit! This is the secret to all great pasta sauces.
What do I do if I want my pasta saucier?
Keep in mind that as you toss your pasta with the sauce, the pasta will absorb most of the sauce. However, if you really like a saucy Alfredo, you can either use less pasta or increase the ingredients to make more sauce.
How do I spice up my Alfredo sauce?
If you want to introduce more zest to your sauce, go ahead and add more herbs or spices. Other great spices that would work are oregano, parsley or sage. Try adding a dash of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes for a bit of spice.
Tips For Making The Best Salmon Alfredo
- The sauce will seem thin when you start to mix in the pasta. Don’t worry, just keep tossing. The starches from the pasta will mix into the sauce to give the the perfect consistency. If you use flour or cornstarch to thicken the sauce, it may come out with a gluey consistency once it’s cooled down a bit.
- It’s best to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese rather than buying already grated cheese. I usually buy a big block of Parmesan from Costco and once I open the bag, I wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it. It will last a long time.
- Like most pasta dishes, this salmon Alfredo is best served immediately, it’s never the same reheated because the pasta will absorb all the sauce.
Leftovers?
As mentioned this Alfredo pasta is best served immediately. However, if you have leftovers, store this in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 to 5 days. Just be sure it’s properly cooled before storing. Unfortunately this dish doesn’t freeze well so I recommend either making it day of or a few days before and storing in the fridge.
More Delicious Recipes To Try
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Salmon Alfredo
Video
Ingredients
- 12 ounce dried penne
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 8 ounces smoked salmon (cut into thin strips)
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Cook the pasta in a large pot with salted boiling water according to the instructions on the package. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- Make the Alfredo sauce: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until aromatic. Stir in the cream and bring to a gentle boil. Add the ½ cup of pasta water and stir. Reduce heat to low. Add the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper; stir until the sauce is smooth.
- Toss everything together: Add the pasta and salmon to the saucepan and toss it well with the cream. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with fresh thyme and serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese.
Equipment
Notes
- The sauce will seem thin when you start to mix in the pasta. Don’t worry, just keep tossing. The starches from the pasta will mix into the sauce to give the the perfect consistency. If you use flour or cornstarch to thicken the sauce, it may come out with a gluey consistency once it’s cooled down a bit.
- It’s best to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese rather than buying already grated cheese. I usually buy a big block of Parmesan from Costco and once I open the bag, I wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it. It will last a long time.
- Like most pasta dishes, this salmon Alfredo is best served immediately, it’s never the same reheated because the pasta will absorb all the sauce.
- This Alfredo pasta is best served immediately. However, if you have leftovers, store this in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 to 5 days. Just be sure it’s properly cooled before storing.
- Unfortunately this dish doesn’t freeze well so I recommend either making it day of or a few days before and storing in the fridge.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
I did make this recipe. I used fresh salmon. My wife complains that I never leave a recipe alone. I added two small green onions to the butter before the garlic. Turned out really good. Made a double batch and my sons kids scarfed it up. They are usually picky eaters. Thanks for the ideas.
My pleasure, glad you guys enjoyed it! Remember, cooking is about having fun and letting your creativity shine, so feel free to play around with any recipe and make it our own!
I find the smoked salmon too salty. Will make it with fresh salmon instead. Thanks for another great lunchbox idea!
I have tried so many of your recipes and have loved all of them. This one is no different! Will be in my meal planning for weeks to come.
So glad you like it! 🙂
This looks delicious. It’s served hot, right? I assume so because of the Alfredo sauce.
Yes, that’s right.
Can I substitute the heavy cream with a non-dairy milk as I am lactose intolerant
You can, but it may be a bit thinner than using actual cream. I do believe there is lactose free cream though, I know Lactantia or Natrel has it.
Jo – does this scream for Capers? Also, I am coastal PNW and have some home canned tuna. Would you think I could swap it for salmon?
Yes, I think capers would be great and also yes, tuna would work as well! 🙂
OMG Jo!!!! Best evah smoked salmon dish!!! I made this for lunch with fresh home made pappardelle (because I was making fresh pasta this morning). I had just bought smoked salmon last week from Costco!! I saw your recipe and thought – just a small amount for lunch will be perfect – I went heavy on the black pepper and added fresh dill. This is to die for!!! Going forward this will be on my monthly recipe rotation – Thank you!!
So glad to hear you liked it!
Hi Jo
Are the pasta recipes in your book?
Hi Emma, there are some pasta recipes in my book but they are all original and not on the blog. 🙂