This salmon in cream sauce pasta is a crazy comforting meal that’s sure to become a guilty pleasure. Its richness and creaminess are sure to please!
I don’t know if you’re like me, but I think that one of the most comforting foods in the world is chicken fettuccine alfredo. There’s just really nothing like creamy, buttery noodles 🤤. This salmon in cream sauce pasta gives you all the richness of chicken alfredo, just with a bit of a twist. If you like salmon, you’re sure to love it.
This salmon cream sauce pasta is actually surprisingly easy to make. The salmon adds a nice, subtle flavor of fish, and the broccoli helps to break up the richness of the dish just a bit. This fettuccine alfredo with salmon is definitely going to impress your family, your friends, or whoever else gets the privilege to eat this.
This post is all about how to make salmon in cream sauce pasta.
Ingredients for Salmon in Cream Cheese Pasta
Sauce Ingredients
- Butter- Alfredo sauce is just nothing without butter! But, of course, everything is better with butter.
- Garlic- Garlic gives a nice background flavor to your alfredo sauce.
- Heavy cream- This makes up the liquid part of the sauce.
- Cream cheese- This helps to thicken up the Alfredo sauce.
- Parmesan cheese- I recommend buying a whole chunk of this and grating it yourself.
- Fresh oregano- I highly recommend chopping up fresh oregano, but you could use dried oregano if you can’t find any.
- Fresh thyme- Take the leaves off the stems and chop them slightly.
- Lemon juice- This adds a wonderful little extra something to the sauce!
Alfredo
- Salmon- I thawed salmon from frozen. You can use whatever type of salmon you prefer,
- Broccoli- I used fresh broccoli that was chopped pretty small.
- Pasta- I used fettuccine for this recipe. You could use other types of pasta though.
How to Make Salmon in Cream Sauce Pasta
Salmon
Put the thawed salmon in a salt brine for 15 minutes. I’m sure there’s a more official way of doing this, but I just put water in a bowl, sprinkled in a liberal amount of salt, and threw in the salmon.
Cook the salmon in butter until it reaches 145°F in a large frying pan. Chop the salmon into cubes and set it aside.
Alfredo Sauce
In the same pan where the salmon was cooked, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter has melted, add in the minced garlic, thyme, and oregano. Let it cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
Whisk in the heavy cream, a little at a time. It will continue to get smoother after whisking it for a minute. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and chili powder to the sauce.
Once the sauce has become smooth, turn the heat to low and add in the room-temperature cream cheese and the parmesan cheese. Stir them around occasionally while they melt. Once the cheeses are melted, add the lemon juice.
Final Touches
Once the sauce is done, add in the chopped broccoli. Let it simmer in the sauce while you start to cook the pasta.
Once the broccoli is tender and the pasta has reached al dente, mix the pasta and salmon in with the sauce. Serve the pasta with salmon and broccoli while it’s fresh for the best results.
Questions about Salmon in Cream Sauce Pasta
What noodles are best for salmon alfredo?
I highly recommend fettuccine noodles for salmon alfredo. It’s definitely the most classic choice. Alternatively, you could use spaghetti, linguine, or even a shorter type of noodle like penne.
Do I have to pan-fry the salmon for this recipe?
Not necessarily! You could also choose to bake or grill the salmon. Any way you want to do it, the dish will still be delicious.
What can I serve with this salmon in cream sauce pasta?
Since this creamy salmon and broccoli pasta is a pretty rich dish, I recommend serving it with something lighter. Serving the dish with roasted vegetables, like extra broccoli, squash, and/or mushrooms would work well. You could also choose to serve it with a side salad for a fresher touch.
For more delicious pasta recipes, you’re really going to want to check these out!
Salmon in Cream Sauce Pasta
Ingredients
Pasta
- 2 tbsp. Butter
- 21 oz. Salmon (thawed, give or take a couple ounces is fine)
- 2 cups Broccoli (fresh, chopped)
- 1 lb. Fettucinne pasta
Alfredo Sauce
- 10 tbsp. Butter
- 7 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp. Thyme (fresh)
- 1 tbsp. Oregano (fresh, chopped)
- 4½ cups Heavy cream
- ¾ tsp. Salt
- ¼ tsp. Pepper
- ¾ tsp. Nutmeg
- ½ tsp. Chili powder
- ¾ cup Cream cheese (room-temperature)
- 1 cup Parmesan (grated at home)
- 3 tbsp. Lemon juice
Instructions
Salmon
- Put the thawed salmon in a salt brine for 15 minutes. All I did was put water in a bowl, sprinkle in a liberal amount of salt, and put in the salmon. This process helps to flavor the salmon.
- Cook the salmon in 2 tbsp. of butter until it reaches 145°F in a large frying pan. Chop the salmon into cubes and set it aside.
Alfredo Sauce
- In the same pan where the salmon was cooked, melt the 10 tbsp. of butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter has melted, add in the 7 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp. of thyme, and 1 tbsp. of oregano. Let it cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
- Whisk in the 4½ cups of heavy cream, a little at a time. It will continue to get smoother after whisking it for a minute. Add the ¾ tsp. of salt, ¼ tsp. of pepper, ¾ tsp. of nutmeg, and ½ tsp. of chili powder to the sauce.
- Once the sauce has become smooth, turn the heat to low and add in ¾ cup of room-temperature cream cheese and 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Stir them around occasionally while they melt. Once the cheeses are melted, add the 3 tbsp. of lemon juice.
Final Touches
- Once the sauce is done, add in the 2 cups of chopped broccoli. Let it simmer in the sauce while you start to cook the pasta.
- Once the broccoli is tender and the pasta has reached al dente (according to the pasta box instructions), mix the pasta and salmon in with the sauce. Serve while the dish is fresh for the best results. Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy your salmon in cream sauce pasta!