Simple ingredients like fresh salmon, crisp sliced asparagus spears, and cream come together in this easy pasta recipe for a perfect dinner that is fit for any special occasion and takes minimal effort!

Why You'll Love this Recipe

Fresh asparagus is one of my favorite ingredients to play with in the springtime. It adds the perfect crunch to this light and bright pasta and balances the cream sauce perfectly. Here are just a few reasons you are going to fall in love with this creamy salmon asparagus pasta:

• This pasta uses simple ingredients and cooking techniques to create a meal that is truly amazing.
• The kids and adults in your family are going to be major fans of this creamy salmon pasta recipe
• This meal is quick to pull together and can be on the table in under thirty minutes!
• You can any variation of pasta you would like, including gluten free or whole wheat pasta and it will still taste delicious!
  

Ingredients You Need

While the full ingredients list is available in the recipe card below, here is a breakdown of what you will need to make one of my favorite creamy pasta recipes!

• Your favorite short pasta (penne, farfalle, casarecce, etc.)
• Olive oil
• Wild salmon fillets
• Fresh asparagus
• Shallots
• Garlic cloves
• Kosher salt
• Dry white wine
• Heavy cream
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Lemon zest
• Fresh lemon juice
• Parsley

How to Make Creamy Pasta with Salmon and Asparagus

While the full instructions are available in the recipe card below, here are some tips on the key steps in preparing one of my fave easy pasta recipes!

• Season salmon with salt and pepper. Heat a large stainless steel sauté pan and add olive oil. Place salmon skin side down in the hot pan and let cook, undisturbed, until the salmon is cooked approximately two thirds of the way up the side of the salmon. This will take approximately four to six minutes. Flip the salmon and let cook, undisturbed, until the salmon is cooked the remaining way through - approximately two to three minutes. Remove from pan and set aside on a plate to cool.
• Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions until just al dente. While the pasta is cooking, heat the same pan you cooked the salmon in on medium-high heat. Add olive oil to the pan to heat, then add the asparagus and shallot, and a little bit of kosher salt, and cook until the asparagus is bright green and shallot is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant - this won't take long so don't get distracted! Deglaze your pan with the white wine and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. This is important because it will get all that delicious flavor for the sauce that we're looking for. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine reduces in the bottom of the pan.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and slowly add the cream to the pan. Make sure you use room temperature cream and really let the pan cool down before adding the cream. This is important to ensure the cream doesn't get shocked with a big change in temperature and separate in the pan. Stir the cream in the pan and let cook and reduce. Once it starts to reduce a little bit, add the parmesan, lemon zest, and lemon juice and continue to cook slowly stirring occasionally to reduce the sauce. Flake the salmon apart and add it back to the sauce.
• Add the cooked pasta along with some reserved pasta water to the pan with the sauce. You want the pasta to be cooked to just al dente to allow it to finish cooking in the sauce. The starch in the reserved pasta water will help give the sauce the smooth texture we want, and finishing cooking the pasta in the sauce will help the sauce to stick to the pasta. Once the pasta is finished cooking and the sauce reaches your desired consistency, remove from heat and serve in bowls. Top with chopped parsley as an optional garnish, and enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

Here are some tips and tricks to consider when preparing this delicious meal!

• Asparagus prep: Ever bit into an asparagus spear for it to be stringy? It is the worst! The best way to avoid this is to snap the woody end of the asparagus off when your are cleaning them before cooking. Don't be worried about wasting food, as these pieces are not what you want to eat anyways. You should only need to snap a small piece of the end off to ensure deliciously crisp asparagus in your meals!
• Cooking with stainless steel: The best way to ensure you cook your proteins with a stainless steel frying pan is to make sure it is sufficiently heated. This is the most important difference maker between having perfectly seared salmon versus a sticky mess all over the bottom of your pan. Preheat your pan with no oil in it over medium-high heat for at least five minutes. Try putting a little water in the pan, you will know your pan is ready when the water makes little balls that roll around the bottom of the pan. If the water steams, you are not ready yet! Once the pan is hot enough, add your oil and then the salmon to the pan. Your focus now will be to manage the heat of the pan to keep it at that perfect searing temperature.
• Cooking salmon: When cooking your salmon, you want to get a nice sear on the outsides, but have it still be a little moist on the insides so that it flakes apart just right. The best way to do this is to cut a couple of small grooves along the skin side of the salmon, just enough to get through the skin. Then, you are going to place the salmon skin side down on the hot pan. Let the salmon cook undisturbed with the skin side down until the salmon starts to turn pale pink about halfway to two thirds up the fillet. This will take about three to five minutes. Flip the salmon and let it cook undisturbed for another roughly two minutes to cook the top of the salmon. Remove from the pan and place on a plate with the skin side down and let sit. You want the salmon to be flaky but firm.
• Leftover salmon: If you have lots of leftover salmon from a previous meal, this is the perfect recipe to use all of that up! Simply flake it apart into bite-sized pieces and add it to the pasta at the same time you would with freshly cooked salmon. Cook until it is heated through. This may take a few extra minutes of cooking if you have just taken your leftover salmon out of the fridge.
• Cooking pasta: When cooking pasta at home, especially with a homemade sauce like this one, I recommend cooking the pasta until it is just al dente. Then you will add your cooked pasta with a little bit of pasta water into the pant to finish cooking in the creamy sauce. This is important for a few reasons. The starch in the pasta water helps to create that smooth velvety texture we all love in a great pasta sauce. Finishing cooking the pasta in the sauce also helps it to stick to the noodles, which also helps create that delicious restaurant quality texture!

How to Customize Your Creamy Salmon and Asparagus Pasta

If you want to try this pasta but are missing some ingredients, or simply don't like salmon, here are some substitutions and additions that will make this delicious meal your own!

Substitutions

• Shrimp - Don't want salmon but still craving seafood? Shrimp would be a great swap to try.
• Smoked salmon - If you want a stronger flavor from the salmon, you can always use smoked salmon in place of fresh salmon!
• Chicken - Always a great substitute if you are not a fan of seafood!
• Chicken broth - Want to eliminate the wine in this recipe? Simply swap the white wine for a quarter cup chicken broth
• Crème fraîche - Instead of using cream, you could also use crème fraîche to achieve that luscious and velvety texture.

Additions

Any of these ingredients would be lovely additions to this asparagus pasta recipe!

• Fresh dill
• Frozen peas
• Green beans
• Baby spinach

How to Store Leftovers

This pasta is delicious as leftovers too! I love to take these for lunch the next day. You can easily refrigerate in an airtight container for up to three days.

How to Reheat Leftovers

I usually microwave these leftovers. I would recommend placing in a microwave safe dish and adding a little water to the bottom of the dish, then cover while cooking. Stir before serving and enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a heavy cream substitute I can use?

• Of course! You can use crème fraîche in place of heavy cream. You could also leave the cream and parmesan cheese out and add more olive oil if you want to make this without any dairy.

Can I add other veggies to this pasta?‍

• Yes definitely - Some additions I think would be delicious include peas, green beans, or baby spinach.

Do I keep the skin on or take it off the salmon when adding it to the pasta?‍

• I remove the skin when flaking my salmon apart and do not add it to the pasta.

How do I know that the salmon is ready?

• ‍‍You will know your salmon is done cooking when it flakes when you press the top of the flesh of the salmon fillet with your finger or fork. This means that it will separate easily along the lines that run across the fillet. It will be light pink in color. You can also check that its internal temperature reaches 125F for farmed salmon, or 120F for wild salmon.

Can I cook salmon cold straight from the fridge?‍

• You can, however it may take a little bit longer and you might get subpar results. I would recommend letting the salmon reach room temperature by letting it sit on the counter for fifteen to twenty minutes. This will give you the best results when cooking.

What should I do with the leftovers?‍

• Keep them! I love to keep the leftovers and have them the next day for lunch or even dinner on busy weeknights. Because this pasta sauce has cream in it, I do not recommend freezing leftovers as it will make the texture of the sauce different when reheating.

More Delicious Salmon Recipes You Have to Try

Looking for more salmon recipes? Here are some quick links to more delicious recipes!

• Salmon and Chipotle Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
• Baked Whole Wild Salmon
• Simple Spice Rubbed Salmon
• Fresh Pesto Baked Salmon
• Honey Mustard Glazed Salmon