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This lemon dill salmon pasta recipe makes an easy and elegant weeknight dinner. It’s perfect for date night!
Need more date night inspiration? Try this White Wine Cream Sauce for Ravioli!
This salmon pasta with dill sauce is ready in only 20 minutes!
If you want more easy salmon pasta recipes, try my Cajun Salmon Pasta, this Garlic Butter Salmon Pasta, my Creamy Garlic Salmon Pasta, or my Fresh Tomato Salmon Pasta.
If you’ve got some fresh dill in your garden, this is the perfect recipe to try. If not, herbs are plentiful in the summer, so they’re easy enough to find at the grocery store. You may have some left over after making this recipe, but not to worry – you can use fresh dill for plenty of things. I like to add it to salads, sauces, salad dressings, or even sandwich fillings like tuna salad.
Creamy dill sauce for salmon
This sauce is pretty simple. It has dill, garlic, heavy cream, butter, and lemon juice. Prior to cooking the salmon, I coat it in a bit of flour, which allows the sauce to thicken up. It’s all cooked in one skillet, which makes it easy.
Recipe notes & tips:
- I used a piece of fresh sockeye salmon that weighed around half a pound (anything around that size is fine). You can buy either skin-on or skin-off salmon. The skin is fine to eat, but some people prefer not to. If you buy a piece with the skin on but don’t want to eat it, you can peel the skin off on the step where you’ve taken the salmon out of the pan (it should peel off quite easily).
- I haven’t tested this recipe with dried dill, but I would suggest starting with one teaspoon of dried dill and building your way up from there if you need more.
- I used fettuccine for this recipe, but any shape pasta you have on-hand will work just fine.
More amazing easy salmon recipes to try:
Do you ever make salmon pasta at home? Questions about this creamy lemon dill salmon pasta? Ask me in the comments below.
Lemon Dill Salmon Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound fresh salmon
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Flour for dredging
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 cup chicken broth or dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
- Optional garnish: fresh parsley, parmesan cheese
- 4 ounces uncooked pasta
Instructions
- Boil a salted pot of water for your pasta. Cook it al dente according to package directions. I suggest starting the sauce once the water's boiling.
- Season the salmon with salt & pepper and coat it in the flour.
- Add the oil and butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the salmon and cook it for 2 minutes/side, then take the fish out of the pan and set it aside.
- Add the chicken broth, lemon juice, and garlic to the pan. Let it bubble for about 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the cream, dill, and salmon back into the pan. Break the fish up with your spoon into bite-size pieces. Cook it for a few more minutes until it's cooked through and the sauce has reduced and thickened a bit.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Toss it & serve immediately with parsley and parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- You can use skinless or skin-on salmon. I prefer buying the kind with the skin already removed, but it's fine to eat it or peel it off.
- Can't get fresh dill? Try 1 teaspoon dried dill instead (build your way up from there).
- I don't recommend substituting the cream for milk or half-and-half because the lemon juice will likely curdle the sauce.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Easy to follow and adapt, and delicious recipe 🙂 will make again!
Great!
To keep half and half from breaking, don’t use lemon juice — zest the skin into the butter/oil after the salmon comes out of the pan.
I used what was in my pantry. I used canned salmon, granulated garlic and small pasta shells.
This was FABULOUS! Thank you for such an easy recipe. Foodgasm level!
That’s awesome!! 😀
I made this for my girlfriend, it looked very similar to the pics and tasted lovely, we both enjoyed it with a simple salad. My comment – get the salmon cooked and the sauce on the go before putting the pasta in the water!
I’m glad you two enjoyed it, John!
Correction to previous inquiry …
Can I use salmon fillets for this recipe?
Hi Reggi! Yes, that is fine. That’s what I used.
Very yummy and simple to make we added a side of braised asparagus to up the veg content and next time plan to add grated courgette (zucchini) instead.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Love those additions.
Fantastic dish, I extrapolated out to make if for 3 and it was delicious. We too traded the cream for Crème Fraiche and it was lovely and light. I do have a photo but no section to load these up 😀
Would greatly recommend.
That’s great! I’m glad it worked out! Yup, there’s no way to load photos in the comments here unfortunately… but if you’re on Instagram, tag me and I’ll be able to see it. 🙂
Can you use frozen salmon fillets?
You’d have to thaw them first.
Great recipe! The whole family liked this one 🙂
That’s what I like to hear!
I love to cook and i love good food. That was amazing. I could eat that every night for the rest of my life,
Thanks.
Aww that’s awesome!! Thanks for commenting!