This garlic butter salmon pasta is quick, easy, and uses only a handful of ingredients. Perfect for dinner on a busy weeknight!
I’ve made this pasta a couple of times now, and I love how fast it comes together. If you’re looking for a simple sauce for salmon, butter and garlic make a fabulous combo. I will always stand by that. π Add in the pasta and you’ve got yourself one tasty meal.
The sauce is easily made while the pasta is cooking. I suggest waiting until the water’s boiling before starting the sauce because it doesn’t take much time at all.
If you’re looking for another super quick weeknight pasta, try my popular tuna garlic pasta.
I had to remake this salmon pasta because I am literally the worst at writing up recipes in a timely fashion. Usually my notes are decent, but sometimes I forget to write down ingredients since I’m usually running around like a chicken with its head cut off. In the case of this recipe, I went to write it up several weeks after I first made it, and I had no idea how much chicken broth I used. I knew chicken broth was in there since I wrote it in the steps, but it didn’t say anything in the ingredients column. So, anyway, that meant that I had to redo it. I’m my own worst enemy. That’s ok, though, because it was tasty… again. And now I know how much chicken broth should go in there. π
The chicken broth reduces a lot and adds a delicious savory flavor to this dish. This isn’t really a super “saucy” pasta per se, but it’s perfectly buttery, and the lemon juice adds a bit of freshness. The olive oil stops the butter from burning while you’re searing the salmon.
Salmon tip: I used a piece of fresh sockeye salmon that weighed around half a pound. Anything around that quantity will work. You can buy either skin-on or skin-off salmon. The skin is fine to eat, but some people donβt like it. If you buy a piece with the skin on but donβt want to eat it, I suggest peeling the skin off on the step where youβve taken the salmon out of the pan – it should peel off easily.
You can use any kind of pasta in this recipe. I’ve made it with penne and spaghetti, and it’s good either way.
If you love salmon pastas, you may also like my creamy garlic salmon pasta, my lemon dill salmon pasta, this Cajun salmon pasta, or my fresh tomato salmon pasta.
I hope you’ll give this easy salmon recipe a try!
Questions? Let me know in the comments below.
Garlic Butter Salmon Pasta
This garlic butter salmon pasta is quick, easy, and uses only a handful of ingredients. Perfect for dinner on a busy weeknight!
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound fresh salmon
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Flour for dredging
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- Optional garnish: fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese
- 4 ounces uncooked pasta
Instructions
Boil a salted pot of water for your pasta. Cook it al dente according to package directions. I suggest starting the sauce once the water's boiling.
Sprinkle the salmon with salt & pepper and coat it in the flour.
Add the oil and butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the salmon and cook it for 2 minutes/side, then take the fish out of the pan and set it aside.
Add the chicken broth, garlic, and lemon juice to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium.
Add the salmon back into the pan and break it up with your spoon into bite-size pieces. Cook it for a few more minutes until it's cooked through and the sauce has reduced a fair bit.
Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet (you can add a little pasta water if you wish). Toss it & serve immediately with parsley, red pepper flakes, and parmesan cheese if desired.
Recipe Notes
- You can use skinless or skin-on salmon. I prefer buying the kind with the skin already removed, but it's fine to eat it or peel it off.
Andrew says
Do you think tuna would also work?
Natasha says
I think you could definitely give it a try!