A delicate pasta dish with noodles cooked al dente, then smothered in a creamy dill lemon butter sauce; enhanced with a chardonnay wine, and topped with a crispy seared salmon filet. This lemon-butter pasta and seared salmon recipe will become a new staple in your home.
Stop Rinsing Noodles
The natural pasta starch facilitates adhesion to sauce. The only time you should ever rinse your noodles is when you don’t want a sauce sticking to them (i.e. pasta salad).
Golden Sear Tips
- A hot pan is essential for a perfect sear. Heat your pan up over medium high heat without the oil. The pan is ready when it is too hot to hold your hand 3 inches from the surface for 3 seconds. Once the pan is hot, then you add the oil. The best sear will come from stainless steel or cast iron (avoid using a non-stick pan)
- Drying the fish keeps the fish from steaming. Steam will prevent a crispy sear. The salt also helps draw the moisture out of the salmon, but avoid salt soaking the salmon for too long or it will be too dry.
- Do not not move the fish around after you have laid it in the pan, we want a nice even sear and we don’t want the fish breaking apart. (Your fish WILL stick to the pan before the sear is done, so no touching!). Once you see a pink line formed all the way around the salmon, with golden crisp bottom edges, guide your fish spatula under the salmon and flip it away from you. The color change is a good indication that the salmon proteins are solidifying.
- If at any time you notice smoking, your pan is too hot, turn it down or lift your pan off of the heat.
- Some thicker filets will need to finish cooking in the oven. It’s important to take the temperature of the fish before placing it in the oven to give yourself an idea of how long it will need to be in the oven. Salmon is ready when the the outside is opaque and the inside is slightly translucent. It should also give slightly when you poke it. Remember that Salmon will continue to cook even after removed from oven.
Salmon Cooking Temperatures
Insert a calibrated thermometer into the thickest part of the Salmon. Do not stick the thermometer in too deeply in order to avoid taking the temperature of the pan rather than your fish.
110°-125° (F) Fish cooked medium-rare
125°-140° (F) Fish cooked medium to well done.
You do not want it cooked above 140°(F) or it will be tough and dry. Fish should separate into segments naturally. If you need a knife to eat it then it is likely overcooked.
Fish Spatula
This is a slightly curved spatula that is extremely flexible and gentle. It is ideal for fish because it is so fragile. I personally use this tool for many other dishes that require extra TLC when maneuvering (cookies, omelettes, lasagna, etc). Here is one I recommend: OXO Good Grips Fish Turner. (Paid link; commissions earned)
DILL LEMON BUTTER PASTA AND SEARED SALMON
A delicate pasta dish with noodles cooked al dente, then smothered in a creamy dill lemon butter sauce; enhanced with a chardonnay wine, and topped with a crispy seared salmon fillet.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: seafood
- Cuisine: italian
Ingredients
DILL LEMON BUTTER SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- one lemon
- 4 tablespoons white wine (I usually use chardonnay)
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill
- black pepper to taste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano
- spaghetti or fettuccine noodles (1/2 a box or 8 oz of home made)
- 3 tablespoons pasta water
SEARED SALMON INGREDIENTS
- 2 (4oz) salmon filets
- salt and pepper to taste
- high heat oil (i.e. vegetable, sunflower, canola)
EQUIPMENT:
- small oven safe skillet for salmon (or skillet and oven safe baking dish)
- medium skillet for sauce
- large pot
- whisk
- colander
- fish spatula or regular spatula
Instructions
For the Sauce:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil.
- Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium low heat. Add the juice of one lemon (save peel for zesting) and white wine. Allow the alcohol to cook out for two minutes over medium low heat.
- Add salt to the boiling water, then add pasta. Cook the noodles al dente (firm to the bite) per package instructions. Home-made noodles are ready once they float to the top.
- Return to your sauce and whisk in the heavy cream in 1/4 cup increments. Whisk in garlic powder to the sauce. Turn off the heat and stir as needed.
- Drain the noodles in the colander, but reserve some pasta water to whisk into sauce. Add the noodles to the sauce. Stir the pasta until they are coated in the silky sauce. Set aside.
For the Salmon:
- Heat a small skillet over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the oil.
- Lower the salmon into the pan angled away from you, presentation side down. Do not not move it around. Once you see a pink line formed around the salmon and golden crispy edges on the bottom, splash with a dash of white wine or lemon juice (about a tablespoon)
- Guide your fish spatula under the salmon and softly flip it away from you. Lower temperature to medium. Finish cooking in the oven at 350 °F if needed.
- Salmon is ready when the temperature reads 110-140 °F or the outside is opaque and the inside is slightly translucent. It should also give slightly when you poke it. Salmon will continue to cook even after removed from heat.
- Heat the noodles back up on the stove (in skillet) if needed. Serve the salmon on top of the pasta and garnish with parmesan, lemon zest, and dill. Enjoy!
Keywords: seafood, salmon, pasta, Italian, lemon pasta, seafood pasta, lemon-butter, dill salmon
WOW this was SOO GOOD! The flavors paired together so nicely. The fish tips were so helpful! Will definitely make again.
★★★★★