Warm weather in full swing and I'm still craving pasta. Who isn't?! Let's make it light and bright with a salmon and spinach pasta with no cream. Who can say no to that?! Let's keep it light with a garlic lemon sauce. this delicious Atlantic Salmon Spinach Pasta will be your go-to salmon pasta recipe, no doubt!
So do you always bake your salmon? Once we get comfortable doing something a certain way, often we don't switch it up. Well I'm urging you to try pan searing your salmon for this salmon spinach pasta recipe.
How to Pan Sear Salmon
First you will want a skillet large enough to give each piece of salmon its own space. I love cubing it before pan searing because its easier to cook and flip without breaking it.
For this recipe
- Remove skin (for this recipe at least!)
- Cut your salmon filets into cubes and salt & pepper them
- In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat get your pan nice and hot.
- Place each piece of salmon in the skillet and cook about 3-4 minutes on each side. Please don't overcook!
Fish should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
That's it! So easy and it's perfectly flaky. It'll go great on top of our Salmon Spinach Pasta with no cream.
What Kind of Salmon is Best?
That is really a difference in opinion. There are actually 6 types of salmon (King, sockeye, coho, pink, Atlantic, and chum.
You are most likely going to get to choose from Sockeye and Atlantic. I am more partial to Atlantic salmon for this Salmon Spinach Pasta recipe it's milder in flavor and has never done me wrong!
I like to get large frozen bags of Atlantic Salmon it from Sam's to always have on hand. But fresh from Trader Joes and Sprouts are my other go-to's!
How To Make Salmon Spinach Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 Atlantic salmon filets, skin off, cubed
- 6 oz penne pasta, cooked to al dente
- 1 cup white wine or chicken stock
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- 1/4 an an onion, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- pinch of red pepper flakes
How To Make Salmon Spinach Pasta
- Salt and pepper your cubed salmon pieces.
- Cook cubed salmon over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side.
- Chop spinach, onion, and garlic for the sauce
- Remove the cooked salmon and set aside
- In the same skillet, sauté onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon of butter until lightly browned.
- Add in the white wine to deglaze and cook 5 minutes.
- Stir in spinach, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Reduced for 5-7 minutes
- Stir in al dente pasta and let it cook until it has absorbed most of the remaining liquid.
- Plate pasta in 2 bowls and top with cubes of salmon!
MORE Healthy Salmon Recipes
Salmon Spinach Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 salmon filets skin off, cubed
- 6 oz penne pasta cooked to al dente
- 1 cup of pasta water reserved
- 1 cup white wine or chicken stock
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- 1/4 an an onion chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- pinch of red pepper flake
Instructions
- Salt and pepper your cubed salmon pieces.
- Cook cubed salmon over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side.
- Chop spinach, onion, and garlic for the sauce
- Remove the cooked salmon and set aside
- In the same skillet, sauté onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon of butter until lightly browned.
- Add in the white wine to deglaze and cook 5 minutes.
- Stir in spinach, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Reduced for 5-7 minutes
- Stir in al dente pasta and let it cook until it has absorbed most of the remaining liquid.
- Plate pasta in 2 bowls and top with cubes of salmon!