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My creamy lemon and fresh tomato salmon pasta is an easy and fresh (yet decadent!) pasta dish that’s ready in only 20 minutes.

close-up of white bowl with creamy lemon and fresh tomato salmon pasta
Photos updated 5/2020

My creamy garlic salmon pasta has done really well (I hope I didn’t just jinx it!), and I wanted to do something similar in this tomato salmon pasta.

Although salmon is versatile and I like to prepare it several different ways, enjoying it with pasta and a creamy sauce is probably my all-time favorite way of cooking it.

Salmon pasta is so quick and easy and typically tastes like it’s more complicated to make than it is!

I love seafood pasta. When I’m anywhere near a coast, I order copious amounts of it since normally I’m landlocked and don’t usually have access to the best seafood. It’s not like you can’t get seafood here, but it’s just not the same as being right there. You can find pretty good salmon here, so that’s my go-to when I’m craving something from the ocean. Something about seafood pasta hits the spot for me.

piece of fresh salmon searing in a skillet

The lemon and tomato make this a comforting yet light and fresh meal. A little bit of Dijon mustard is my not-so-secret ingredient (you’ll see it a lot if you read this blog often) for adding more depth of flavor.

Aaaand of course garlic is in here because it’s basically my lifeblood. 😉

Love creamy salmon recipes? You’ll probably like my creamy Tuscan salmon or my creamy salmon piccata.

close-up of salmon and tomato pasta (spaghetti) with lemon garlic cream sauce

Recipe notes & tips:

  • You can buy salmon with the skin on or already taken off. If you bought salmon with the skin on and don’t want to eat it, you can simply peel it off after you’ve done the searing step… it’s really easy to do that. 
  • I love my Microplane zester/grater to zest the lemon and grate parmesan cheese.
  • I used spaghetti for this creamy salmon pasta recipe, but feel free to sub with any pasta you choose.

I hope you enjoy this easy salmon pasta recipe as much as I did! I really need to make it again soon.

That lemon-tomato-cream sauce is the best, really.

More salmon pasta recipes you may like:

two white bowls of fresh tomato salmon pasta

Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions about this fresh salmon pasta recipe!

close-up of white bowl with creamy lemon and fresh tomato salmon pasta
4.89 from 67 votes

Creamy Lemon and Fresh Tomato Salmon Pasta

My creamy lemon and fresh tomato salmon pasta is an easy and fresh (yet decadent!) pasta dish that's ready in only 20 minutes. 
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients 

  • 4 ounces uncooked spaghetti (or other pasta)
  • 1/2 pound fresh salmon
  • 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning or to taste
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 medium tomatoes chopped
  • 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
  • Juice and zest of 1/2 medium lemon (about 1 tbsp juice)
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • Chopped parsley (optional)

Instructions 

  • Boil a salted pot of water and cook pasta al dente according to package directions.
  • Sprinkle both sides of the salmon with Italian seasoning and salt & pepper, to taste.
  • Add oil and butter to a skillet on medium heat. Sear salmon for 3 minutes/side. Remove salmon from pan and set aside.
  • Add the tomato, cream, lemon juice and zest, garlic, and Dijon mustard. Stir until smooth and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the parmesan.
  • Add the salmon back into the pan, and use a spoon to break it up into smaller pieces. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
  • Once the pasta is cooked, toss it with the sauce. Serve with parsley and some extra grated parmesan cheese if desired.

Notes

  • I don't recommend subbing the cream with half-and-half or milk because the sauce is likely to curdle due to the amount of citrus in this recipe. 

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Hi! I’m Natasha.

Salt & Lavender is a recipe blog with a focus on delicious comfort food using everyday ingredients. Beat the weekday grind with hundreds of easy-to-follow and hassle-free recipes!

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185 Comments

    1. That’s wonderful to hear, Dan! Hope you guys are staying cool.. heard the weather has been crazy hot over there!

  1. 4 stars
    I made a few small changes to this dish last night, and my wife was very impressed with the meal. Thank you for sharing.

  2. 5 stars
    I swapped the fresh tomatoes for tinned chopped tomatoes, which i dranned first. I them swapped the fresh salmon for frozen salmon, cooked in the oven for 25 min. The cream i swapped for oat cream (my gf is lactose intolerant) and the parmesan for a lacto free one. It tasted absolutrly delicous. Well done for the recipe.

    1. I am so glad you were able to modify the recipe for your lactose-intolerant gf! Thanks for the tips (may help other readers) and so happy you guys enjoyed it.

  3. So I made the Keto version using Zoodles instead of pasta. It turned out really great. I sauted the zoodles after the salmon came out of the pan for about five minutes.

    1. Did the cream curdle for you? I avoid using half-and-half or milk for recipes like this because of that issue. I have never had a problem with heavy cream curdling in a sauce (even with acidic ingredients like lemon and tomatoes). Cooking at a lower temperature can help with curdling as well.

      1. 5 stars
        Yes, the second time I cooked it I kept the temperature low and it really worked. I LOVE this recipes!