Creamy Orecchiette with Salmon and Asparagus

This pasta dish is spring in a bowl! Asparagus, spring onions, and wild salmon with a light and creamy sauce that is so flavorful thanks to the fresh dill, parsley and lemon. Greek yogurt gives this dish its creamy texture without weighing it down.

Once you prep your veggies, herbs, and salmon, this dish comes together very quickly. It is perfect for a weeknight dinner but would also impress guests! Have your fish monger or butcher remove the skin from your salmon for you so all you have to do is cut it into pieces. Using salmon in pasta is a great way to get more servings out of it. Wild salmon can be expensive so adding it to pasta means you don’t have to buy quite as much to feed a family.

Orecchiette is a favorite pasta in my house but feel free to use whatever you like or have around. It would be great with just about any pasta. When you cook your pasta, make sure your pasta water is WELL SALTED! The salted water flavors your pasta (you won’t end up with salty pasta!) and flavors the sauce. The starch in pasta water will thicken, bind, and emulsify your sauce. You get more of a “creaminess” without more oil or butter. My general rule is 2 tablespoons of kosher salt to 1 gallon of pasta water (which is about how much my big pasta pot holds). The only time I change this ratio is when I am making pasta with a salty base of olives, capers, or anchovies.

2 thoughts on “Creamy Orecchiette with Salmon and Asparagus

    • Hi Shawna. So sorry for the delayed response. I was traveling last week and did not have my computer. I am in the process of transferring all of my Juicy Bites recipes to my new site, RhondaInRealLife.com. That one hasn’t made it over yet. Since I have stopped managing the Juicy Bites site, some of the recipes aren’t showing up. I will go through my files and find that one and send it to you as soon as I get a chance!

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