Creamy salmon pasta with spinach & capers
This creamy salmon pasta with spinach, capers and lemon is a delicious and easy supper for two. The sauce cooks in roughly the same amount of time as the pasta, so have everything ready and prepped before you start cooking. The golden gremolata pangrattato is optional but highly recommended to give this creamy pasta a crunchy hit of flavour.
I developed this recipe to pair with the La Motte Pierneef Sauvignon Blanc. The wine has a citrus flavour profile with green pepper and Cape gooseberry in the background which pairs beautifully with seafood pasta dishes such as this creamy salmon.
The palate is very elegant, with a mineral finish and the best time to enjoy this wine is during 2021. La Motte Estate is fully open and well worth a visit if you are in the Franschhoek area. They have a museum that houses a collection of 45 Pierneef artworks dating between 1908 and 1955 as well as Pierneef memorabilia. You can visit the Pierneef à La Motte Restaurant or a beautiful farm shop.
A few of my other favourite salmon recipes:
Herb & fennel crusted salmon with garlic roasted sweet potatoes
Jamie Oliver’s fantastic fish pie
Roasted salmon with miso & orange glaze
Vietnamese caramel salmon in the Instant Pot
Salmon poached in lapsang souchong tea, with ginger, lemon and honey
Smoked salmon omelette with chive crème fraiche
Salmon burger on a black brioche bun
A few pasta recipes you might like:
Roast butternut and mascarpone pasta sauce with mushrooms
Recipe – Serves 2 very generously
Creamy salmon pasta with spinach, capers & lemon
Ingredients
- 230 gms linguini or any other long pasta of your choice
- 100 gm baby spinach leaves
- 300 gms salmon pin boned and skin on
- Olive oil to fry
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 small shallot finely chopped or half a small brown onion
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- ½ cup La Motte Pierneef Sauvignon Blanc
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 cup of whipping cream
- 1 Tbsp chopped dill
- Zest of half a lemon
- Juice from a lemon
- 3 Tbsp baby capers drained from their brine
- Salt & pepper
- Grated Parmesan to serve optional
Gremolata pangrattato:
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- Zest of half a lemon
- 1 Tbs finely chopped Italian parsley
- Salt & black pepper
Instructions
- Make the pangrattato first. Melt the butter and olive oil in a medium/ small nonstick pan and when the butter starts to bubble, add the garlic and fry for about 30 seconds. Add the panko crumbs and toss to coat.
- Add the lemon zest and parsley and fry this for a few minutes until the crumbs turn a golden brown colour. Season lightly with sea salt and black pepper and decant from the pan to serve with the pasta.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. A minute or so before the pasta is ready, add the baby spinach leaves. Allow this to wilt in the water with the pasta and then drain in a colander reserving a little of the pasta water
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a medium-sized non-stick skillet or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Season the salmon fillet with salt and pepper and rub a little olive oil over the flesh.
- Fry (skin side down first) for a few minutes on each side until the salmon is golden and mostly cooked through. It is ok if the fish is a little pink in the middle. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Wipe the pan down with a paper towel and return it to low heat. Add the butter to the pan and when it has melted, add the shallot. Cook until softened but not browned, about 3 – 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for a minute further. Add the white wine and allow this to bubble away until most of the liquid has evapourated. Add the Dijon mustard and mix to combine.
- Add the cream, chopped dill, lemon zest, lemon juice and baby capers, and cook briefly until the sauce starts to thicken. Flake the meat of the salmon into the sauce and heat through.
- Add the drained pasta and spinach to the pan and toss to coat and if necessary add a little of the pasta water to loosen the sauce. . Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Dish up immediately and serve with the golden pangratatto crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
*This post is proudly sponsored by La Motte
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I thought it was a great dish, fresh and delicious.
The amount of ingredients is definitely too much for two people in my opinion. Too much for the two of us anyway.. I think it would serve four easily.
Also you said to squeeze the lemon juice from one Lemon, and then never called for it in the recipe., 🤣. Did I miss something? I’ve read through it twice and still can’t see where to use it.
Anyway, the result was delicious and we. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
I did not use Parmesan on the top as I really did not see how it could enhance the fresh flavours of the lemon and dill etc. I’m glad I left it out. Personal taste.
Thank you.
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★★★★★
Thanks for the feedback Gigi I will take a look at the lemon part. Its always hard to know portion size but I think around 100gms per person is a good size. Leftovers are great though
Loved this recipe. We’ve made it multiple times now. Really liked the different textures of the creamy pasta and the crunchy breadcrumbs.
★★★★★
Thank you so much for letting me know and glad you love this recipe
I had my eyes on this recipe for a while and finally bought all of the ingredients to make it. It was a hit, my mum loved it and me too. I shared your recipe with a coworker who also made it and her husband adored it. Definitely a recipe that we will make again. Thank you
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed this salmon recipe and thanks for the comment