Fresh & zesty Creamy Salmon & Asparagus Pasta is so delicious! Packed with creme fraiche, lemon juice, peas, asparagus & lots of dill it's bursting with flavour! It's very nutritious too, especially if you choose to use wholewheat pasta! Beautiful dish celebrating Spring!
Creamy Salmon & Asparagus Pasta - perfect, healthy indulgence!
This beautiful Spring pasta is one of those dishes that feel really rich and indulgent but at the same time is full of good, body nourishing ingredients. It will make you feel good about the way you eat, you will feel energised and full but not heavy. This pasta really is a celebration of Spring and its ingredients! It's fresh, zesty and packed full of flavour!
Salmon
I am a huge fan of fish and seafood but salmon in particular. I love how versatile and rich it is and simply love the flavour! To top it off, all the omega-3 goodness that comes with it speaks for itself. Fresh salmon can be quite expensive but I tend to get 1kg filleted salmon sides when they are on offer. I then portion as needed and freeze. Below you'll find some more salmon based recipes you might want to try.
Roasting salmon in the oven for this pasta is quick and easy. If you re using half a salmon side your fish should be ready in 12-15 min tops. I went into specific details on "How do I know when my salmon is cooked" HERE
Asparagus
I'm sure most of you know how to prepare asparagus but just in case it is your first time... Make sure you trim the bottom, woody ends of each stalk. The best way to do this is to bend each spear lightly and it should snap exactly in the right place, leaving you with tender part and woody end separated.
Variations
To make this dish healthier I have used wholewheat pasta which will keep you fuller for longer due to extra fibre. I have also swapped full-fat Creme Fraiche for low-fat variety, however I would not recommend using fat-free version. The reason for that is that fat-free products usually compensate the lack of fat with added sugar! To be honest if you use full-fat Creme Fraiche here (which I have on numerous occasions) the world will not end either and a bit of extra fat will not take away from the fact that this pasta is in fact really good for you!
You can easily make this dish gluten-free by using your favourite gluten-free pasta.
Vegetarians can simply leave out salmon for delicious veggie alternative!
How To Make Creamy Salmon & Asparagus Pasta - Step-By-Step
Creamy Salmon & Asparagus Pasta
Ingredients
- 400 g pasta of your choice I've used wholewheat fusilli
- 500 g fresh salmon fillet skin on
- 250 g asparagus woody ends trimmed, see blog post above
- 150 g frozen peas
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon save 1 tablespoon of juice to pour over salmon fillet before baking
- 300 g reduced fat creme fraiche
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoon of finely chopped dill + few extra sprigs for decoration if you'd like
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.Line your baking tray with aluminum foil and oil it lightly. Dry salmon fillet and put it skin down on prepared baking tray. Pour 1 tablespoon of lemon juice over the fish and season it with salt and pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for approx. 12-15 minutes.Take the salmon out of the oven, peel off the skin (it will peel ever so easy) and flake it into small pieces.
- While salmon is baking, bring large pan of salted water to boil and put in your trimmed asparagus for about 2-3 min (depending on the thickness) until only just tender. Take asparagus out of the pan and chop each spear into three roughly equal pieces and save the tips for adding to individual portions when serving. Set aside.
- Bring "asparagus water" back to boil and cook your pasta according to instructions on the packet (make sure you save approx. 1 cup of water when draining your pasta).
- In another large pan, melt butter and add frozen peas. Cook them for a couple of minutes. Add creme fraiche and stir well. Add all the lemon juice, stir well and heat up gently for a minute or two until sauce has warmed through.
- Add chopped asparagus stalks to the sauce together with flaked salmon and stir gently.
- Add drained pasta with a splash of saved pasta water and mix well. You might have to add a bit more of pasta water depending on consistency of your sauce and how you like it. Sprinkle chopped dill and stir well.
- Serve with saved asparagus tips and a grating of lemon zest!
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per serving and should be treated as a guideline only.
- Any leftovers will keep in the airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it gently on the hob/stovetop or in the microwave. Add splash of water if needed.
- Freezing not recommended.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published on 22 April 2017 and republished in May 2019 with some useful info, new photos, recipe card, step by step photo instructions.
SOME MORE ASPARAGUS & SALMON RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY
Warm Potato Asparagus Salad with Lentils
Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto with Asparagus
Spring Pea and Asparagus Risotto (Vegan)
Wild Garlic Pesto Baked Salmon with Gnocchi
Easy One-Pan Salmon & New Potatoes Bake
MAKE SURE YOU STAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST RECIPES FROM JO’S KITCHEN LARDER
Have you tried my Creamy Salmon & Asparagus Pasta? Leave a comment at the bottom of this post, I love reading them!
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jacqui Bellefontaine says
Ohh some of my favourite things all in one dish. I would happily serve this when enetratining it looks amazing.
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you so much Jacqui! 🙂 This pasta is perfect for easy entertaining!
Monika Dabrowski says
This is a delicious way of serving salmon, with all the veggies and the creamy pasta I have no doubt it's fabulous. Plus you've used my favourite herb! Thank you for bringing your recipe to #CookBlogShare
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Monika! 🙂 I love dill too plus it pairs with salmon beautifully!
HELEN says
that looks so good! I'm not a huge fan of fish but I don't mind a bit of salmon - and I love asparagus & dill!
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you! I have been using dill quite a lot recently. It does give dishes that lovely freshness and here it works really well too.
Katie Bryson says
This is Spring on a plate... the flavours are SO seasonal and deslih it cannot fail to put a smile on your face and fill your belly at the same time. Lush! Thanks again for hooking up with Simple and in Season this month xxx
joskitchenlarder says
My pleasure 🙂 I'm glad you like it? It definitely is one of the "feel good", yummy pasta pots 🙂 xxx
Corina says
What a gorgeous spring dish! I think using creme fraiche for a little indulgence every now and again is fine and must make this lovely salmon and asparagus pasta dish really come together! Like you, I want to eat fresh sping ingredients at the moment and I'll definitely be popping some asparagus into my shopping bag this week. Thank you so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you! Creme fraiche is definitely the ticket to a bit of indulgence in this dish 🙂 Lemon juice cuts through the richness of both salmon and creamy sauce so overall the dish feels quite light indeed. Leftovers are lovely for lunch the following day too 🙂 x
mamagrace says
Yummy! Great for baby led weaning as well. #brillblogposts
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you! 🙂 Oh absolutely, lots of picky bits for little hands 🙂
jacdotbee says
This recipes sounds delicious!. Asparagus and salmon goes so well together. I've just made a simple dish using the two and will be posting on my blog next week so clearly great minds are think alike:)
joskitchenlarder says
Hi Jacqui 🙂 I do love this combination! Salmon and asparagus are perfect match! Looking forward to your recipe as well. Hope you have a lovely Sunday! x