This easy penne al salmone is the perfect Italian dinner meal. With fresh salmon and a tasty cream sauce, this recipe feels high-end but it is so simple!
It is no secret that I love salmon and I, obviously, really love pasta. So, I knew I had to make a creamy and delicious salmon pasta, and it turned out amazing!
Penne al salmone is a creamy penne pasta dish, sometimes made with fresh salmon and sometimes made with smoked salmon. This dish would be perfect any time of year and it is so satisfying and delicious.
Table of Contents:
📖 Recipe Origins
Penne al salmone is a classic Italian pasta dish which consists of penne pasta in a creamy and garlicky sauce with either smoked salmon or fresh, poached salmon.
🎥 Watch the video of this recipe
🍣 Why you'll love Penne al Salmone
- Creamy & Simply Flavored.
- Everyone will love this recipe!
- Looks super fancy, but it's easy to make.
🥘 What you need for this recipe
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Olive Oil - I recommend not using extra virgin here, just regular olive oil will be fine.
- Garlic - If you can use freshly minced garlic rather than pre-minced jarred garlic, that will have a much better outcome!
- Shallot - 1 small shallot or you could use ½ of a white or yellow onion, just be sure to dice it very small.
- Salmon - I really prefer the texture and taste of the atlantic farm-raised salmon (lighter pink color than the wild caught). However, either kind will work.
- Penne Pasta - I actually used a pasta shape called Mostaccioli, which looks exactly like penne but it doesn't have ridges. Regular penne is fine.
- White Wine - any dry white wine is fine, don't use a sweet wine.
- Heavy Cream
- Parmesan - Use a good parmesan, preferably parmigiano reggiano. You can grate it into the sauce, and also add more grated or shaved as garnish.
- Butter - Good quality butter! Omit if you prefer.
- Basil - I really love adding some fresh basil at the very end as garnish, it adds a bit of freshness.
Tools and Equipment:
- Large Pot
- Large Pan
- Sharp Knife
- Microplane/Cheese Grater
📋 How to make Penne al Salmone
Step 1: Prepare Ingredients
If the salmon you're using has the skin on, use a sharp knife to carefully remove the skin. Don't worry if it isn't the cleanest cut, as the salmon will be broken up later.
Slice the salmon in half if it is one large piece.
Finely mince the shallot and the cloves of garlic.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions, and reserve about ¼ cup of pasta water, just in case.
Step 2: Make the Sauce
In a large pot or pan, add olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and sweat until slightly translucent, then add the garlic and saute until fragrant.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape the "fond" (aka the brown bits) off of the bottom. Stir to combine.
Add salt and pepper and let it simmer until the wine is reduced by at least half, then add the cream and stir to combine.
Gently lay the salmon pieces in the sauce and cover to let it steam a bit. Then, gently stir in the slightly simmering sauce to help cook the salmon more, it's ok if it breaks apart (it should).
Step 3: Final Steps
Add the cooked hot pasta to the pot of sauce. Gently stir to combine pasta with the sauce and break apart any unbroken salmon until it is in small chunks.
If the pasta is too dry, add ¼ more heavy cream and a splash of pasta water.
Mix in the grated parmesan cheese and more salt and pepper (to taste), along with the butter. Stir until butter and cheese are melted.
Serve hot and garnish with basil and more grated or shaved parmesan.
💭 Expert Tips & Tricks
- Eliminate some prep work and buy your salmon with the skin already removed.
- Feel free to add a squeeze of lemon juice and/or a dash of red pepper flakes for more flavor!
- I recommend using Atlantic farm-raised salmon (the lighter pink kind), as I think it has a better flavor and texture that goes best in this recipe. However, if you prefer wild-caught, go ahead and use that!
Storage & Reheating Tips:
- Store in the Fridge: Wait until the pasta comes to room temperature and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- Store in the Freezer: Store in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to about 3 months.
- How to Reheat: Always inspect leftovers for impurities or mold by using your eyes and nose. Reheat by adding to a nonstick pan with a splash of water or cream over medium heat until heated through.
Recipe FAQs
Any pasta shape will work, but I recommend short pasta shapes. Ziti, rigatoni, farfalle, would all be good alternatives.
Fresh salmon or smoked salmon will work in this recipe! For smoked salmon, I recommend cutting/dicing the salmon before adding.
This recipe can use either type of salmon, whichever you like better works! I personally prefer the Atlantic farm-raised salmon.
Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Penne al Salmone (with Fresh Salmon)
Equipment
- 1 Large Pot for boiling pasta
- 1 Large Pan or Dutch Oven
- Sharp Knife
- Microplane or Cheese Grater
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 Shallot
- ½ lb Salmon farm-raised is my preference
- 1 lb Penne pasta or mostaccioli
- ¾ cup White wine
- ½ cup Heavy cream more as needed
- ¼ cup Parmesan grated
- 1 teaspoon Salt more to taste
- Pepper
- Basil
- 1 tablespoon Butter optional
Instructions
- If the salmon you're using has the skin on, use a sharp knife to carefully remove the skin. Don't worry if it isn't the cleanest cut, as the salmon will be broken up later.
- Slice the salmon in half if it is one large piece.
- Finely mince the shallot and the cloves of garlic.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions, and reserve about ¼ cup of pasta water, just in case.
- In a large pot or pan, add olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and sweat until slightly translucent, then add the garlic and saute until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pan with the white wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape the "fond" (aka the brown bits) off of the bottom. Stir to combine.
- Add salt and pepper and let it simmer until the wine is reduced by at least half, then add the cream and stir to combine.
- Gently lay the salmon pieces in the sauce and cover to let it steam a bit. Then, gently stir in the slightly simmering sauce to help cook the salmon more, it's ok if it breaks apart (it should).
- Add the cooked hot pasta to the pot of sauce. Gently stir to combine pasta with the sauce and break apart any unbroken salmon until it is in small chunks.
- If the pasta is too dry, add ¼ more heavy cream and a splash of pasta water.
- Mix in the grated parmesan cheese and more salt and pepper (to taste), along with the butter. Stir until butter and cheese are melted.
- Serve hot and garnish with basil and more grated or shaved parmesan.
- Add a squeeze of lemon on top, if you wish.
Video
Notes
- Eliminate some prep work and buy your salmon with the skin already removed.
- Feel free to add a squeeze of lemon juice and/or a dash of red pepper flakes for more flavor!
- I recommend using Atlantic farm-raised salmon (the lighter pink kind), as I think it has a better flavor and texture that goes best in this recipe. However, if you prefer wild-caught, go ahead and use that!
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