Pasta Alla Salmone is a quick, easy and incredibly flavorful dish. Penne pasta and salmon are tossed in a rich and decadent cream sauce; made with shallots, white wine and half and half. Penne alla salmon comes together in under 30 minutes, making it a perfect afternoon or weeknight meal.

Pasta Alla Salmone

If you love a good creamy pasta recipe, this Pasta Al Salmone dish is for you! It’s a quick and easy recipe that is oh so delicious. While this salmone pasta recipe is simple to prepare, it is also fancy enough to serve at a dinner party or for a romantic date-night.

For my fellow pasta lovers, check out my Linguine Bolognese, Gluten-Free Lasagna, and my Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta With Steak.

Wild Salmon vs Farm Raised

Wild-caught salmon are caught in their natural environment, are a deeper shade of red, and overall lower in fat and total calories. Wild-caught salmon are also more nutrient dense, being higher in many vitamins and minerals such as potassium, zinc and calcium (as opposed to the Farm-raised variety).

Farm-raised salmon are raised in pens, are lighter shade of red, and are higher in saturated fat and total calories than wild-caught salmon. Additionally, farm-raised salmon contain more contaminants than wild-caught salmon.

Ingredients For Pasta Al Salmone

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I love the combination of Olive Oil and butter in this recipe, however you can totally omit the EVOO and only use butter.
Butter: The butter in this recipe adds a lot of richness and flavor to this dish. If you don’t do well with butter, you can either use Ghee or simply stick with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Shallot
Garlic: You want to use fresh minced garlic, not the stuff from the jar
Thyme: Fresh thyme if you have it. If not, dried will also work.
Gluten-Free Flour: If you are not worried about gluten, you can certainly use regular flour. I love Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour.
White Wine: You will want to use a dry white wine that you would enjoy drinking. Chardonnay, sauvignon blanc or a Muscadet would all be good choices. To learn more about wine quality, check out my post on Dry Farm Wines.
Half & Half: Don’t skimp on the half & half, here. It’s tempting to use low fat milk, but the dish won’t taste the same. Pasta alla salmone is meant to be a decadent dish, so go all in. If you don’t have half & half, you can use heavy cream instead.
Sea Salt: You can also use kosher salt.
Black Pepper
Pasta: For this salmone pasta recipe, I used Gluten-Free Penne, however if you can handle gluten, use any penne or longer cut of pasta that you like.
Fresh Salmon: Any variety of salmon will work for this pasta dish. I used wild Sockeye salmon, since that’s what we had in the freezer. However coho, or alaskan are tasty alternatives. You can certainly use smoked salmon or leftover cooked salmon as well. If you’re in a pinch, you could use wild caught canned salmon too, just expect the taste and texture to be a little different. Since salmon is the star of this dish, do your best to use a good quality wild salmon.
Parmesan Cheese: Fresh grated; none of that pre shredded stuff. Taking a few minutes to shred your own cheese, you’ll really taste the difference. If you don’t have parmesan cheese, feel free to use pecorino Romano. Pecorino Romano is a sheep's milk cheese that has a nuttier, earthier flavor than Parmesan.
Basil: For topping the dish.
Lemon Juice: A squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end really brings this dish to life! The lemon adds a brightness to the pasta al salmone, while also helping to cut through the heaviness of the dish. You will want to use fresh squeezed lemon juice, not the stuff out of the bottle, trust me on this! Meyer lemons are a plus.

Instructions For Pasta Alla Salmone

Preparing The Salmon:

If you don’t have cooked salmon on hand, you can quickly cook a filet in the oven. You can also use my Traeger Grilled Salmon recipe, if you prefer grilling the salmon.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
While the oven is preheating, place your salmon filet on a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Bake the salmon for 10-12 minutes or until just cooked through.
Once the salmon is done, remove it from the oven and use a fork to flake the salmon, and then set aside.

Preparing the Pasta Al Salmon Sauce:

In a large stock-pot, bring salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook the penne pasta according to package instructions, until al dente. Once the pasta is cooked, reserve 1 cup of salted pasta water, then drain the remaining water and set the pasta aside.
While cooking the pasta, begin to prepare your sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium low heat, add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter has melted, add the shallots and cook for 5-7 minutes or until soft.
Next, add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Be sure to stir consistently so the garlic doesn’t burn.
Sprinkle in the gluten-free flour and cook for 1-2 minutes over medium heat, while stirring.
Pour in the wine and bring it to a low boil over medium high heat. Continue stirring. Allow the mixture to cook until the wine reduces by half.
Reduce the heat to low and gently pour in the half & half, then add the salt and pepper.
Allow the sauce to cook on low heat for 3-5 minutes while stirring.
Once the sauce starts to thicken, gently fold in the flaked salmon.
Once the pasta is al dente, reserve 1 cup of pasta water, and then drain the pasta; add it directly to the cream sauce along with the parmesan cheese..
Gently toss the pasta in the salmon cream sauce, until everything is combined. If your sauce is too thick, add a little bit of the reserved pasta-water until you achieve your desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
Top the Pasta Alla Salmon with fresh basil and more freshly grated parmesan cheese (if you choose), along with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Tips And Tricks

Reserve The Pasta Water: You will want to be sure to reserve some of the starchy salt-water before draining your pasta. You can use this water to help thin out your sauce if needed. Additionally, the salty pasta-water will help the sauce adhere to the penne pasta.
Cook Your Pasta To Al Dente: It’s important to cook your pasta just to al dente (which translates as “to the tooth” in Italian). The pasta will continue to cook in the sauce, and you don’t want to end up with a super chewy pasta.
Use Fresh Organic Ingredients: This recipe only requires a handful of ingredients, so it’s very important that you use good quality, fresh ingredients. Not only are higher quality ingredients better for you, but they also allow for a more robust flavor.
Sauce Thickness: The sauce may appear a bit loose at first, but not to fret, it will thicken up once it’s removed from the heat.

Substitutions & Variations for Penne alla Salmone

Pasta Shape: In this salmone pasta recipe, I use penne pasta, however you can use any longer cut noodle that you like. Tagalattle, fettuccine or pappardelle are also fantastic options.
Diary-Free: You can make this recipe dairy-free by using full fat coconut milk or a creamy oat milk and dairy-free parmesan cheese. You will also want to swap the butter out, and replace it with more olive oil.
Salmon: You can use smoked salmon for this pasta al salmone recipe, which will be just lovely. In a pinch, you could use wild canned salmon as well, but the texture and flavor will be a bit different.
Alcohol-Free: If you don’t have white wine or don’t want to use wine at all, you can substitute it with chicken broth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use Cream Instead Of Half & Half?

Yes, you can certainly use cream instead of half & half. Any sort of full fat milk will work, just stay away from low fat or skim varieties, as they have a tendency to literally be watered down.

What Can I Use Instead of Penne Pasta?

If you don’t care for penne pasta, you can make Pasta Al Salmone using any longer cut noodle. I also love using Tagalattle, pappardelle or fettuccine for this recipe.

Can You Freeze Penne Al Salmone?

I would not recommend freezing this dish. It tastes best when served hot and fresh.

What Wine Should I Serve with Penne Al Salmone?

A nice crisp, dry white wine pairs perfectly with pasta alla salmone. You can enjoy the same wine you used in the dish, so a Chardonnay, sauvignon blanc or Muscadet would be lovely.

It’s also important to choose a quality wine, preferably one that is organic and dry farmed (which means growing grapes without adding additional water). I get my wine from Dry Farm Wines, which are sugar free (keto and paleo friendly), non-GMO, contain minimal sulfites, and contain next to no additives or toxins. You can read all about why I made the switch in my Dry Farm Wines Review. You can also get a free bottle for a penny with the link provided in the blog post.

How To Serve

You will want to serve this salmon pasta right away! This dish tastes best warm right after it has been prepared.

How To Store

You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days.

Pasta Alla Salmone