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This 20-minute garlic butter salmon pasta recipe is super easy to make and uses only a handful of ingredients. It’s perfect for dinner on a busy weeknight!
Try my Garlic Butter Chicken Bites or Easy Canned Tuna Pasta next.
Why you’ll love it
Butter, garlic, a little chicken broth, and lemon juice are really all you need to make a fabulous sauce for this easy salmon pasta recipe. It’s basic yet bright, and each bite has perfectly flaky pan seared salmon that’s tossed in that buttery, velvety sauce!
Regular readers know I’m a big fan of salmon, and it doesn’t need a whole lot of dressing up to shine in this easy salmon pasta. There’s lots of savory flavor, and I bet you have most of the ingredients in stock in your kitchen on the regular for this quick and simple meal.
What you’ll need
- Pasta – use your preferred shape. I like penne or spaghetti!
- Salmon – you can buy either skin-on or skin-off fresh salmon
- Flour – for dredging and getting an irresistible crust on the fish
- Olive oil and butter – for pan frying and the base of the sauce
- Chicken broth – another layer of flavor
- Lemon juice – a pop of freshness and acidity for balance
- Garlic – savory goodness
Pro tip
Salmon skin is fine to eat, but some people don’t like it. If you buy a piece with the skin on but don’t want to eat it, I suggest peeling the skin off in the step when you’ve taken the salmon out of the pan — it should peel off easily.
How to make garlic butter salmon pasta
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cook the pasta until al dente. Season the salmon with salt & pepper, then dredge in the flour. Heat up the oil and butter in a skillet, then add in the salmon. Cook it for a couple of minutes on both sides, then transfer it to a plate. Add in the broth, garlic, and lemon.
Reduce the heat, and let it simmer for a bit. Return the salmon, and break it apart with a spoon. Let it cook through. Toss with the drained pasta. Garnish with the optional toppings of fresh parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, parmesan, etc. if desired.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Two great cast iron skillet options are my Le Creuset and this budget-friendly Lodge one.
- I love my garlic press! No sticky garlic fingers here.
- This is my butter dish. It has convenient measurement markings right on it.
Substitutions and variations
- You could use leftover salmon (like from grilling or if you happen to have cooked salmon on hand), but I suggest cooking it for even less time. Just let it warm through.
- Throw in some additional herbs from the garden for extra fresh flavor.
- I highly recommend reading through the comments section below to see readers’ creative twists for inspiration — there’s some good stuff there!
Leftovers and storage
- I’m one to eat seafood sooner rather than later, but this pasta will keep in the fridge for a couple of days in a tightly covered container.
- Warm it up on the stove in a saucepan over a low heat, adding a bit of broth/lemon juice for moisture if needed.
- Freezing leftover salmon pasta isn’t recommended because the texture of the fish is liable to change.
If you made this simple salmon pasta recipe, please leave a star rating and review below! I’d love to see your photos on Instagram as well.
Garlic Butter Salmon Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 ounces uncooked pasta
- 1/2 pound fresh salmon
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Flour for dredging
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or veg broth
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- Optional garnish: fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese
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 (if you bought salmon with skin and don't want to eat it, you can easily peel the skin off at this point if you wish).
- Add the chicken broth, garlic, and lemon juice to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer for about a minute.
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on May 8, 2019. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
I tried this recipe for my first time today. I didn’t change anything and it is delicious. Your suggestion to not start the sauce until the water boils is very helpful. I especially like that I had all of the ingredients which are in most kitchens. Highly recommend .
I’m so glad you found the recipe easy to follow and enjoyed it! Thank you!
This recipe is a refreshing and yummy change to the typical cream sauce recipes-delightful! We used up some salmon that was less than perfect (i.e. dark, fishy-tasting bloodlines). The flavor of the sauce nicely covered and complemented our fish. My husband loves it, too, and we can’t wait to have it again with some better quality salmon. (I followed the recipe exactly.)
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it!! 🙂 That’s great… I hope you enjoy it with a better piece of fish next time. 🙂
Loved this! I have issues with milk but the Parmesan was just enough. Skipped the read crumbs and used olive oil instead of butter cause I was starving! It was delicious! Thank you for sharing ❤️
Jackie
I’m so happy you liked it! 🙂
Can this be made ahead and then reheated?
Hi! It’s not ideal to be reheated (salmon can dry out and the sauce may reduce too much), but if you do try, I’d do it slowly on a low heat.
Up up up, good
Loved this tonight! The butter/oil after cooking the salmon was a little brown so I cooked/melted some fresh butter and oil (around half) in another pan before adding the rest of the sauce ingredients. I liked keeping the salmon separate as didn’t want to overcook it and it gave me a chance to cook the sauce down a bit. Stirred through a little black pepper and pecorino cheese before serving. Can’t believe there’s no cream in it. Tasted far nicer than our usual creamy salmon pasta recipe!
Delicious! Thanks!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂 You’re welcome, Jo!
I made this using Alaskan salmon fillet and vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Awesome to the chicken broth because I am celebrating lent and cannot eat any type of meat. But God damn is the best recipe I’ve had in a long time. And normally I hate it with a passion, but because it’s meant I had to eat some sort of protein and this recipe did not disappoint. Folks definitely try this out for yourself. And I still used day old cooked penne pasta. I can only imagine how much better it would taste with fresh pasta. And definitely add the pepper flakes because it gives it a bit of a spicy zest.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Delicious!!! I added dill and white wine! Yummy!!!!
Great!! Thank you.
I added heavy cream to the chicken broth and it was delicious 👌. Will be making it again
Wonderful! 🙂 So happy to hear that!
Just made it, added piccolo tomatoes to pan when I seared the salmon, it was delicious.
Best salmon and pasta recipe I’ve had in a while and the beauty is in its simplicity.
That’s great!! I’m so happy you enjoyed it. Love the addition of the tomatoes.