Lunch / Dinner
Salmon Alfredo with Capers & Chives
You can never have enough pasta dishes in your arsenal for busy weeknights. This Alfredo, coupled with quick-cooking, user-friendly salmon, is one to add to your list.
The key is to start with the freshest fish available. To ensure freshness, head to a market with a high fish turnover. Buy a one pound portion of a whole side of salmon (or steelhead trout) with the skin still attached — it will easily “peel” right off after it’s cooked.
For flawless fettuccine Alfredo, toss the pasta with the sauce before adding the other ingredients.
Ingredients
FOR THE SALMON, ROAST:
FOR THE PASTA, COOK:
MELT:
ADD:
Test Kitchen Tip
If you have leftover salmon on hand, omit the step of roasting the salmon.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
For the salmon, roast salmon, skin side down, on prepared baking sheet until cooked through, ⏰ 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove skin and break salmon into chunks.
For the pasta, cook fettuccine in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water, then drain.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots, cook ⏰ 2 minutes, then add cream and reserved pasta water. Bring sauce to a boil; simmer over medium-high heat until thickened, ⏰ 3–4 minutes.
Add fettuccine and pecorino to pan and toss to coat. Remove pan from heat. Stir in capers, chives, zest, and salmon; season with salt and pepper.
Pull the salmon away from the parchment once it’s cooled, and the skin will come right off.
Adding seasoned, starchy pasta water contributes to thickening the sauce while adding flavor, too.
So the pasta gets coated and absorbs the sauce, toss together before adding other ingredients.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 649
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 35g 53%
Saturated Fat 18g 90%
Cholesterol 146mg 48%
Sodium 720mg 30%
Carbs 44g 14%
Fiber 2g 8%
Protein 39g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.