Flavorful, elegant, and quick to the table, this salmon pesto pasta is an easy to make and impressive dinner made from pantry ingredients.
Keeping with the easy seafood pasta trend, today I'm bringing you salmon pesto pasta.
You're going to love this one because:
- it takes under 15 minutes to cook
- it's pretty darn close to a one pot meal (if you don't count the pasta pot)
- 7 humble, but flavourful ingredients - likely these are in your pantry too!
- it's a completely elegant and drool worthy meal truly perfect for any occasion.
I've used jarred pesto in this recipe, but you could also swap that for fresh if you have some. If you are going to use a jarred pesto like I did, just be sure that you buy a high quality brand - all pestos are definitely not made equal, and for maximum flavour you are going to want the real deal.
How to make it
This meal honestly couldn't get any easier. There are truly only 3 simple steps.
First, gather up all your ingredients, then set a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the pot, and then cook the pasta according to the package directions.
While your pasta cooks, get the salmon going.
Heat a large non stick skillet to medium heat and add a splash of olive oil. Season the salmon well with sea salt and pepper, and then place the filets on the skillet.
Cook on the first side for 2-3 minutes then flip over and finish cooking the other side.
When the salmon has cooked, remove it from the skillet and add the wine. Use a wooden spoon to stir it around as it reduces, pulling up any of the browned bits that may be stuck to the pan.
When the wine has reduced, add the pasta to the skillet, then the pesto. Toss well to coat, then add the spinach and stir until the leaves have brightened up and just wilted.
Add the squeeze of lemon and toss.
To serve, divide the pasta between a couple of bowls, then top with the salmon, and garnish with parmesan cheese and roasted red pepper flakes if you like things a bit spicy. I highly recommend them!
Tips and Tricks
Don't overcook the salmon - it will get quite dry. Salmon truly only needs a few minutes to cook and tastes its best when it is served medium rare.
What looks like a large amount of spinach wilts down into a tiny fraction of what you started with. Don't skimp on the spinach.
I used penne here because it's one of my favourite pastas, you can use whatever pasta you have on hand in this dish though.
Want to see more recipes like this?
If you like this salmon pesto pasta, you might want to check out some of our other seafood pastas!
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Salmon Pesto Pasta
Ingredients:
- 1⁄2 lb salmon fillets
- 5 ounces penne - or other pasta
- 2-3 Tablespoons pesto
- 2 cups fresh spinach - packed
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ¼ lemon
- 1⁄4 cup dry white wine
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and then cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet to medium heat and add a splash of olive oil.
- Season the salmon generously with sea salt and pepper, then place on the heated skillet.
- Cook the salmon for 2-3 minutes per side (depending on thickness) then remove from the skillet and flake.
- Add the wine to the skillet, and using a wooden spoon release any bits that are stuck to the pan. Let the wine cook until it reduces.
- Add the cooked pasta to the skillet, then the pesto, then squeeze the fresh lemon over in. Top with the spinach, then toss until the leaves have brightened and just wilted.
- Serve with salmon topped over it, slices of lemon and parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
* nutritional information is calculated by online tools and may not be 100% accurate.
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