Every year my brother goes salmon fishing in the Alaskan wilderness and brings home 50 pounds of fresh Alaskan Sockeye salmon. It is absolutely dee-lish-us and so fresh that you don’t like to waste one bite! So, I created this dish in order to use any leftover salmon that was cooked on the grill or smoked on the smoker. It’s soooo good! Try it out!
Pasta with Fresh Salmon
Recipe by: Bobbi Jo Lathan
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4
PREP TIME
8 mins
COOK TIME
12 mins
TOTAL TIME
20 mins
INGREDIENTS
1 pound box of #5 Barilla Spaghetti Pasta
8 ounces of freshly cooked salmon (flaked)
⅓ cup of extra virgin olive oil (divided)
1 stick of salted butter (divided)
½ cup of Kefalotyri Greek cheese (grated)
½ cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
3 cloves fresh garlic (pressed)
2-3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2-3 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons freshly chopped chives
1 fresh lemon (juiced)
INSTRUCTIONS
I usually make this recipe with leftover cooked salmon that my brother brought back from his Alaskan fishing trip. But, if you are not using leftover salmon, you can get 7-8 ounces from the seafood section in your grocery store, salt and pepper the filet, and bake in your oven at 425ᵒ, skin-side-down for 10-12 minutes until flaky. You can also grill the salmon, uncovered, for about 6-8 minutes on a high heat of 450ᵒ, on your grill.
Let the cooked salmon cool for a few minutes and then flake or break apart the salmon into small pieces and set aside.
Cook your pasta in a big pasta pot or Dutch oven, according to the directions on the package. (usually 8-12 minutes-I put a tablespoon of the olive oil, along with the salt, in the water to keep the pasta from sticking together)
While the spaghetti pasta is cooking, grate your Kefalotyri and Parmesan cheeses and set aside in a bowl.
Grab some fresh chives from the garden, or from what can be found freshly packaged in your produce section and wash, dry and chop. Set aside in a little bowl. (If you can’t find fresh chives, you can use fresh parsley, chopped)
Place the 3 cloves of fresh garlic inside your garlic presser and juice your lemon (if you like it a bit more tangy, you can juice 1 ½ fresh lemons and zest some lemon peel, also)
When the pasta is done (I always taste for doneness), place a colander in your sink and drain the pasta. Now, place the pasta pot or Dutch oven back onto the stove and add a half stick of butter and the ⅓ cup of the olive oil into the pot. The pot will still be hot and melt the butter. Give a stir to blend and then dump the drained pasta back into the pot with the butter-olive oil mixture. (Note: you can always use more butter if you wish or olive oil if it gets too gloppy) Stir the pasta to blend it with the butter-olive oil mixture.
Now, add the cheese and the freshly pressed garlic and blend into the pasta. Sprinkle on the salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne and fresh lemon juice and stir to blend. At this point, I usually use the tongs to mix more quickly, lifting the pasta mixture up and down to blend. Add the chives and toss, and lastly add the flaked pieces of freshly cooked salmon and blend.
Serve immediately with a nice crusty rustic bread or garlic bread. Dee-lish!!