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This Cajun salmon pasta recipe is fast and flavorful. Cajun spices, sun-dried tomatoes, cream, and garlic make this dish irresistible!

Try my Tomato Spinach Salmon Pasta or Salmon Tacos next.

close-up of a bowl of creamy Cajun salmon pasta with grated parmesan cheese

It’s no secret that I love salmon pasta. This one has a slightly spicy (but not too spicy) twist, and it’s just as easy to make as my popular creamy garlic salmon pasta or my creamy tomato salmon pasta.

This is a quick recipe that takes about as long to cook the sauce as it takes to boil the water for the pasta.

This recipe is written for two people, but it’s easily doubled if needed.

I used spaghetti in this recipe, but any pasta is fine.

white bowl of creamy Cajun salmon pasta

How to make Cajun salmon pasta

  • Coat salmon in salt & pepper and flour;
  • Sear the salmon on both sides in a hot skillet for 2 minutes/side;
  • Take the fish out of the pan and set aside;
  • Add the Dijon mustard, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes to the pan, followed by the cream, Cajun seasoning, and lemon juice;
  • Add the salmon back into the pan and cook for a few more minutes. I also like to add some fresh basil (not necessary but very tasty).

Recipe tip: I bought one piece of fresh salmon that weighed around 1/2 a pound. Anything around there works, really. You can buy either skin-on or skin-off salmon. The skin is fine to eat, but some people don’t like to. If you buy a piece with the skin on but don’t want to eat it, I suggest peeling the skin off on the step where you’ve taken the salmon out of the pan… it should come off easily.

Love Cajun flavors? You may also like my Cajun shrimp pasta, homemade remoulade sauce, my Cajun sausage pasta, or my one pot Cajun chicken pasta.

close-up of cream Cajun salmon pasta in a bowl with a fork

Questions about this recipe? Let me know in the comments below.

More salmon pasta recipes to try:

This creamy Cajun salmon pasta is full of flavor with a touch of spice! The perfect easy weeknight dinner that's good enough for guests.
4.77 from 17 votes

Cajun Salmon Pasta

This Cajun salmon pasta recipe is fast and flavorful. Cajun spices, sun-dried tomatoes, cream, and garlic make this dish irresistible! 
Prep: 7 minutes
Cook: 13 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients 

  • 4 ounces uncooked pasta
  • 1/2 pound fresh salmon
  • Flour for dredging
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
  • Fresh basil, torn to taste (optional)
  • Freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste (optional)
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Boil a large, salted pot of water for the pasta. Cook it al dente according to package directions. When the pasta is about 10 minutes away from being done, start the sauce.
  • Lightly season the salmon with salt & pepper and then coat it in flour.
  • Add the oil and butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the salmon for 2 minutes/side. 
  • Take the fish out of the pan and set it aside. Reduce the stove's heat to medium.
  • Add the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and Dijon mustard to the pan. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. 
  • Add the cream, lemon juice, and Cajun seasoning to the pan. Stir until the sauce is smooth.
  • Add the salmon back into the pan and break it up using your spoon. Let it cook for a few more minutes until it's cooked through and the sauce has thickened up a bit. Add some fresh basil in the last minute or two of cooking if using. 
  • Drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce. Serve with freshly grated parmesan if desired. 

Notes

  • I used sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil and drained the oil before adding them to the pan.
  • You can stretch this to 4 people if you double the pasta and serve the dish with a side.
  • Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. 

Nutrition

Calories: 801kcal, Carbohydrates: 53g, Protein: 34g, Fat: 51g, Saturated Fat: 26g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 16g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 200mg, Sodium: 180mg, Potassium: 990mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 2440IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 105mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Hi! I’m Natasha.

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4.77 from 17 votes

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60 Comments

  1. Tamara says:

    5 stars
    Made this for dinner tonight and it was gorgeous! The only thing I would suggest is chopping or cutting up the tomatoes and read the notes about draining them before cooking as I missed it at first. Thanks for sharing a lovely recipe 🙂

    1. Natasha says:

      So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

  2. Di says:

    5 stars
    Made this! OMG! We loved it!! Thanks for sharing!!

    1. Natasha says:

      You’re very welcome. 😀

  3. Ajuste Toussante says:

    I have some fresh crab meat in the refrigerator that I need to get rid of, can I add some to this recipe?

    1. Natasha says:

      I don’t see why not 🙂

  4. Larry Stempler says:

    5 stars
    Had last night and loved it.

    1. Natasha says:

      Fantastic! 🙂

  5. Chad says:

    5 stars
    Good recipe just added shirmp and crab omg t HG tanks for the recipe

    1. Natasha says:

      You’re welcome! 🙂

  6. Sharon Elsen says:

    5 stars
    Excellent recipe. I am not usually one to follow a “recipe” so of course I tweaked it a bit but for the most part this was a great recipe on it’s own. I used Wild Alaska Cod for the fish because it’s what I had in the freezer. I put the cajun seasoning directly on the fish, and cooked it to be like a blackened fish. In addition to the sun dried tomatoes, I added chopped artichokes, excellent! Thanks for sharing the receipe.

    1. Natasha says:

      I can relate… I am always tweaking too haha. So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

  7. Abigail Del Vecchio says:

    5 stars
    Made this for my fiancé and we both loved it! I doubled the recipe and we ended up eating the whole thing in one sitting after going back for seconds. Fantastic recipe. Only thing I’d do next time is add more sun dried tomatoes!

    1. Natasha says:

      I’m so happy to hear that! 🙂

  8. Amara says:

    Have you tried this with canned salmon? Would that work? […] has me getting creative with non-perishable staples! I have boneless, skinless wild Alaskan sockeye.

    1. Natasha says:

      Hi! I think you could give it a try. It won’t taste quite the same, but I don’t think it’ll be bad either. (I edited your comment because bloggers are being told not to use buzzwords associated with current events because it may impact search engine rankings).

  9. Joan says:

    Hi sds delicious!
    I bought sundried tomato pesto that i may try with this dish! What do you think??

    1. Natasha says:

      Hi Joan! You could definitely add in a spoonful or two. Just watch how much salt you add since it could be quite salty, and Cajun seasoning often contains some salt.

  10. JIll Naylor says:

    Please can you advise me?. I want to try the Cajun Salmon Pasta, can I use Sun Dried Tomato Paste instead of Sun Dried Tomatoes, or can you suggest an alternative please.

    Thanking you in advance of your reply

    1. Natasha says:

      Hi Jill! You could leave them out if you wanted. They just add a bit of flavor and texture. I haven’t ever used sun dried tomato paste, so I’m not entirely sure how concentrated it is or how much to use. You’d probably end up with a more tomato-y sauce if you used it (I imagine it’s like tomato paste and pretty concentrated).