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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. 😛 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.
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.
A couple notes on the salmon:
- 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 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 on the step where you’ve taken the salmon out of the pan – it should peel off easily.
- 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.
You can use any kind of pasta in this recipe. I’ve made it with penne and spaghetti, and it’s good either way.
More salmon pasta recipes to try:
- Salmon Pesto Pasta
- Lemon Dill Salmon Pasta
- Salmon Pasta with a Creamy Garlic Sauce
- Creamy Lemon and Fresh Tomato Salmon Pasta
- Cajun 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
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 (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.
Notes
- 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I made this recipe this morning. It was quick, easy and delicious.
Fantastic!! 😀 Thanks for your review, Charmaine!
We loved it! I doubled the recipe, added mushrooms, onions & spinich. It was fantabulas!!! 😋
Excellent! Love those additions, Wendy!
I’ve made this many times without any changes and it’s absolutely delicious! Last night I didn’t have any salmon, but I did have tilapia, so I used that instead, and it was still absolutely delicious!! Thanks for the great recipe!
You’re welcome, Julie! We’re thrilled it worked with tilapia as well 🙂
I added more lemon juice as I like the tang and I added mixed veggies for more food groups but I loved it and it was so fast so easy and no mess to cook, also perfect for someone who lives alone or in my case is making a meal for me, and a different meal for the family
So pleased you enjoyed it!!
I just made this dish for my husband and me. Quick easy and delicious. I did add a few extras: mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and spinach. Yum! We are both full and happy! Thanks
Fantastic! Glad you and your husband enjoyed it, Leeda 🙂
Can you replace the chicken broth for something vegetarian?
Sure!
This recipe is delicious! I served it with homemade pasta. I used a little more garlic and fresh basil- because I didn’t have parsley. I will make this again sometime! My husband loved it too. Thanks for tips about starting the sauce and fish after the pasta sauce is boiling.
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it, Mary! 🙂 You’re welcome!
Quick to do and absolutely delicious.
Thank you!! So glad you liked it, Pat!
Thanks I enjoyed the dish and it was quite easy to make.
Fantastic!! 🙂
Made this from an ingredient search- penne and salmon- and it was terrific ! I used frozen salmon ( cooked from frozen so 4 minutes each side) but other than that followed the recipe (doubled) to a t and it was lovely !
Wonderful! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Emily! 🙂