Creme Fraiche Salmon Pasta

Name: Creme Fraiche Salmon Pasta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: ½ tsp avocado oil; 1-1.5 lb salmon (4-5 oz per serving); 1 tsp garlic powder; ½ tsp sea salt (plus extra); ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1 tbsp lemon zest; 1-2 tbsp avocado oil; 350g pappardelle (or other pasta); 1-2 shallots (2 if they're smaller); ½ cup creme fraiche; 2 tbsp capers; 1 tbsp each finely chopped parsley, chives, and dill (plus more for serving); ¼ tsp each sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (or to taste); 1 tbsp lemon zest; 1 tbsp lemon juice (½ lemon, plus more for serving); Parmesan cheese (for serving, optional)

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Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe· 5 from 10 reviews

This Creme Fraiche Salmon Pasta takes only 30 minutes to make, it's creamy, rich, and flavorful. The salmon is roasted with lemon zest and flaked into the pasta. This dish is simple, easy, yet restaurant worthy. It will easily become your new weeknight staple!

Pappardelle with roasted salmon, creamy white sauce, black pepper, and fresh herbs on a white plate.

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients Notes
Variations and Substitutions
Step-by-Step Instructions
Serving
Storing
FAQs
Similar Pasta Recipes
📖 Recipe

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Ready in 30 minutes - The cooking time will depend on how big your piece of salmon is but even bigger pieces will roast in 12-17 minutes. This makes it the perfect recipe to make on a weeknight when you want something restaurant-worthy but also quick!
Perfectly creamy - Creme fraiche makes the sauce super creamy and rich while adding the slightest bit of tang. It's the perfect ingredient for pasta sauces and it really shines in this recipe.
Flaky lemony salmon - The salmon gets roasted in the oven with garlic, onion, and lemon zest until it's cooked through and perfectly tender. The lemon flavor goes really well with the creamy sauce.

What's creme fraiche?

Crème fraîche is French for "fresh cream". It is a version of sour cream with a higher fat content. It is less sour than sour cream with a richer, almost buttery taste. It's great for cooking because it's less prone to curdling due to its higher fat content.

Pappardelle with roasted salmon, creamy white sauce, black pepper, and fresh herbs.

Ingredients Notes

Salmon - Any salmon works here. I usually go with pink salmon because it's the most widely available. You can also use sockeye salmon but you'll need to adjust the cooking time because it's thinner and cooks very quickly.
Pasta - You can use any pasta shape you prefer. Long, flat pasta shapes are my go-tos here. Pappardelle, tagliatelle, and fettuccine are all great here. Even bucatini which is basically hollow spaghetti that soaks up sauces really well.
Creme fraiche - This makes the sauce super creamy and velvety. You can also use regular cream if you don't have creme fraiche.
Capers - Capers add saltiness and a lemony tang similar to olives but a little more floral. You can omit them but I highly recommend adding some. If yours are bigger, chop them up roughly.
Lemon - The recipe calls for both lemon zest and lemon juice so use organic lemons if possible. Freshly squeezed lemon juice is recommended but you can use bottled lemon juice and dried lemon zest if you're out of lemons.
Shallot - Shallots are milder than yellow and red onion and work really well in this recipe but any one of the three will work.
Fresh herbs - You can add fresh or dried herbs to the sauce but fresh herbs are preferred for a stronger, more fresh flavor. I use a mix of parsley and dill.
Cooking oil - I always recommend quality pure avocado oil but you can use any cooking oil you prefer. Just make sure it has a high smoke point.
Seasoning - Garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

Ingredients for creme fraiche salmon pasta all laid out on a grey background.

Variations and Substitutions

Different protein - If you're not a fan of salmon, you can make this pasta with roasted fish, chicken, or shrimp. You could also sear some scallops and serve them on top.
Make it dairy-free - you can use vegan cream for cooking or vegan sour cream instead of creme fraiche. You can also use vegan milk but you might have to add tapioca to thicken the sauce. Don't use more than ½ teaspoon of tapioca starch here and always mix it first with a splash of water.
More spice - If you like spicy foods, feel free to add crushed red pepper flakes, chili garlic sauce (I add this to anything and everything), or your favorite hot sauce to the creme fraiche sauce.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prep Time

Preheat your oven to 400F (200C). Prepare a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the parchment paper with a little bit of avocado oil. This will prevent the salmon from sticking to it.
Rinse the salmon with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Pull out any bones if there are any left.

Salmon fillet on a baking sheet with parchment paper before and after roasting.

Roast The Salmon

Place the salmon skin down on your prepared baking sheet and season with garlic powder, sea salt, pepper, and lemon zest. Try to work the seasoning and lemon zest into the salmon. You can season the salmon skin too but I usually don’t in this case because the skin doesn’t crisp up much and I don’t add it to the pasta.
Drizzle the salmon with avocado oil lightly on both sides.
Roast the salmon for 12-17 minutes until lightly golden. The cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your salmon. It’s done when it flakes easily using a fork. Be careful not to overcook it.

A large skillet with cooked shallots and creamy white sauce.

Make The Sauce

Cook the pappardelle according to package directions. While the pasta's cooking, prepare the sauce.
Sautee shallots in a large skillet with avocado oil over medium-high heat for a few minutes until slightly golden.
Add the creme fraiche, capers, fresh herbs, sea salt, pepper, and lemon zest.
Lower the heat to medium and bring the sauce to a soft simmer stirring often to mix everything well. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain and rinse your pasta.

Pappardelle with roasted salmon, creamy white sauce, black pepper, and fresh herbs in a large skillet.

Finishing touches

Add lemon juice and a good splash of the pasta water to the sauce and stir. Add the pasta and gently toss to coat using two forks or tongs. Add more pasta water as needed.
Flake the salmon and add it to the pasta. Alternatively, you can serve it on top.

Serving

Serve the pasta with more freshly ground pepper, fresh herbs, and flakes of parmesan. You can serve it on its own or with a side of simple salad.

Storing

As with any hot pasta dish, it's best served right away while it's still creamy and hot. The longer the pasta sits in the sauce, the more it will soak it up. That being said, this pasta is actually delicious as leftovers! You'll have to add water or more creme fraiche to make it saucier again and the pasta may fall apart a little while you're warming it up but it's still going to be delicious.

Pappardelle with a creamy sauce and roasted salmon in a large skillet.

FAQs

Can I use canned salmon instead?

Yes! Canned salmon will be dryer than roasted salmon (unless you find a can with oil) but it can definitely be used!

Where can I use leftover creme fraiche?

You can add it to sauces, garnish soups with it, spoon it over roasted vegetables, or add to anything you'd add sour cream to like baked potatoes.

What can I do with leftover roasted salmon?

Add it to salads, serve with roasted veggies, or with eggs for breakfast.

How can I make this dish dairy-free?

Swap the creme fraiche for vegan cream or vegan cream cheese. You can also use non-dairy milk but you might have to add some tapioca to thicken the sauce (make sure to mix the tapioca with water first).

Similar Pasta Recipes

Salmon and shrimp are my favorite seafood and fish to cook with, whether it's for dinner, lunch, or even breakfast! If you're a big fan of salmon, shrimp, and pasta too, definitely give the three recipes below a try! To see all the latest pasta recipes, head over to the Pasta Recipes category.

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