This Cajun Salmon Pasta is a flavor-packed recipe that comes together in under an hour! Flaky salmon in a rich and creamy tomato-based sauce with peppers, onions, lots of garlic, and freshly grated parmesan cheese with a punch of heat from plenty of Cajun seasoning. This recipe is made with pantry and kitchen staples that you probably have on hand, so you can skip the takeout!
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After many years of enjoying Chamere's grandma's cooking, and trips back and forth to Louisiana to visit Bri's dad, it's safe to say we fell in love with Lousiana cooking and love making it at home!
We'll guide you through this simple to make and incredibly flavorful recipe. We know you'll savor every bite of this luscious creamy Cajun salmon pasta recipe.
If you love Cajun food, you've gotta try our fan-favorite Cajun chicken alfredo and our Cajun seafood boil. You'll also love this Cajun shrimp and sausage pasta, or this New Orleans BBQ shrimp!
Looking for more salmon recipes? Try our creamy salmon pasta, this pesto butter salmon, or this delicious salmon bruschetta!
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❤️Why we love this recipe
- Easy meal. This recipe is easy enough to make a great weeknight dinner, yet impressive for special occasions. It's made with simple ingredients that can be found at any grocery store if you don't already have what you need on hand.
- Perfectly balanced flavors. A perfect blend of spicy Cajun seasoning, the richness of heavy cream, and parmesan to make a creamy sauce, combined with the freshness of lemon juice, bell peppers, and celery with tender, flaky salmon create a perfect bite. The flavors are bold, but not overpowering, and as always, you can adjust the spice level to suit your personal preference.
- Protein packed. This recipe is an entire protein-packed meal all in one, which we love! Serve it with a little bread or some veggies like broccoli or green beans, and dinner is ready to go.
- Customizable. This recipe can be made gluten-free by swapping the noodles for a gluten-free version or by using something like zucchini noodles. It can also be made dairy-free with a few simple swaps.
🍝Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
- Cajun seasoning. Try to opt for a blend that doesn't have any added salt if you're getting it from the store. If there is added salt, you will want to scale back on the amount of salt you add. We prefer to make our own homemade so we can control everything about it. You can find our recipe here.
- Salmon. You can either use pre-cut filets, or just a large piece or two of salmon like we did.
- Bell peppers. Any color you want will work. We used green and yellow bell peppers.
- Celery stalks. Trust us on this one - celery completes the 'holy trinity' in Louisiana cooking which includes onion, green bell pepper, and celery! It's the base of so many of your favorite Cajun and Creole dishes. Celery adds a nice brightness to this otherwise heavy sauce.
- Dry white wine. Opt for something that isn't oaky in flavor. You want something bright and citrusy like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Avoid chardonnays. You can also swap the wine for more seafood stock, or any other stock you prefer.
- Seafood stock. You can make your own seafood stock (so save those leftover shrimp shells, lobster tails, and crab shells!) or you can buy it at the store.
- Parmesan cheese. Make sure to great that she is yourself instead of using pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese has additives that prevent it from melting properly, and can cause it to clump up in the sauce.
- Pasta. We like fettuccine for this because it holds up well to the rich, creamy sauce. You can use whatever pasta you prefer though.
- Reserved pasta water. The key to great pasta, truly. Pasta water is gold! This helps the sauce cling to the noodles and loosen noodles after they've been sitting in the fridge.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
- Less or more spicy. Add as much or as little Cajun seasoning as you want to adjust the spice level for your preference. You can also add in things like Cayenne for an extra kick.
- Pasta shapes. Experiment with different pasta types, like penne pasta, fusilli, spaghetti, bucatini, and more to make this dish just the way you like it.
- No wine. If you don't like to cook with wine or you just don't have any, feel free to swap it for an equal amount of seafood stock.
- No seafood stock. You can swap this for white wine, or any other type of stock or broth. Chicken broth or stock and clam juice make for excellent replacements.
✨Variations
- Extra creamy cajun alfredo sauce. Elevate the dish with a luscious Alfredo twist by adding cream cheese to the sauce.
- Cajun shrimp pasta. Swap salmon with shrimp, or just add in some shrimp for extra seafood variation.
- Dairy-free. Swap the butter for more olive oil, or a vegan butter, and replace the heavy cream with coconut cream, full-fat coconut milk, or your favorite non-dairy cream. You will also need a vegan parmesan cheese.
- Gluten-free. This sauce is naturally gluten-free, so all you have to do is make sure to use gluten-free pasta.
- Low carb. All you have to do is use your favorite low carb pasta or pasta substitute like zucchini noodles. Everything else about this recipe is naturally low carb.
- More veggies. Feel free to add more vegetables in there by adding bell peppers, or by adding new veggies like jalapenos, cherry tomatoes, or baby spinach!
🔪Prep work
- Defrost the salmon overnight if necessary (if frozen). Pat the salmon dry with paper towels.
- With a sharp knife and a cutting board, finely chop the bell peppers, dice the onions, and mince the fresh garlic cloves, and the parsley.
- With a microplane, zest the lemon, squeeze the juice with a juicer into a small bowl, and set aside.
- With a cheese grater, grate the fresh parmesan cheese.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
📋Instructions
Season. Drizzle the salmon with some olive oil, and lemon juice. Season with salt and cajun seasoning (to taste). (Image 1)
Roast. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 10-15 minutes or until your desired temperature is reached. For medium rare salmon, you want to aim for about 125°F. If you like your salmon more well done, cook it until it reaches 145°F. (Image 2)
Cook aromatics. Meanwhile, start the sauce on the stovetop. Add olive oil and butter to the hot skillet, add olive oil and butter. Add in the onion, celery, and bell peppers with a pinch of salt. (Image 3)
Cook until the peppers and onion are beginning to soften. Add in the tomato paste, lemon zest, minced garlic, and cajun seasoning to taste. (Image 4)
Cook until the tomato paste deepens in color, about 3 minutes. Stir often to prevent burning. (Image 5)
Add liquids. Deglaze the pan with white wine and seafood stock, and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to simmer for 3-4 minutes to cook off the alcohol. (Image 6)
Meanwhile, prepare the pasta. Make sure to heavily salt the boiling water. While the sauce is cooking, prepare the pasta until a minute or two before al dente (per the instructions on the packaging). Be sure to reserve some pasta water to help bring the sauce together later, (as well as to reheat leftovers!)
Reduce the heat to low, then stream in heavy cream, and stir to combine and warm through.
Begin adding in the parmesan cheese in small handfuls, (Image 7) stirring in between each addition, ensuring the cheese is completely melted before adding more cheese. (Image 8)
Once all of the cheese is incorporated, remove the skillet from the heat, add in the cooked pasta with a splash of pasta water, and toss to combine. (Image 9)
Next, add in the cooked salmon. Break the salmon into smaller pieces. (Image 10)
Stir to combine and adjust seasonings to taste.
✨Pro Tip: The pasta water is liquid gold! This is what helps the sauce come together, and helps the sauce cling to the noodles. Always be sure to have plenty of leftover pasta water around!
Serve with more parmesan cheese, lemon wedges, and fresh parsley. Enjoy!
✨Tips & tricks
- Don't burn the tomato paste or garlic. Be sure to move the tomato paste and garlic around in the pan a lot to prevent anything from sticking and burning, or else the final dish may end up bitter.
- Heavily salt the pasta water. You want about 2 tablespoons of kosher salt for every 1 pound of pasta. The salt will flavor the noodles!
- Cook the pasta until it's al dente (cooked but still firm) to prevent it from becoming mushy. We'd recommend cooking it for 1-2 minutes under what the package recommends for al dente. It will continue cooking in the sauce!
- Reserve some pasta cooking water. It's great for thinning the sauce and for reviving leftovers the next day.
- Taste the sauce as you go and adjust the seasoning as needed to achieve the desired level of saltiness and spiciness.
- Be sure to stir the heavy cream frequently once it's been added and cook it over low heat to prevent the Alfredo sauce from curdling or separating. Do not boil it.
- Use freshly grated parmesan and add it slowly. Make sure each handful of cheese is melted and incorporated before adding the next. Be sure you grate the cheese yourself so that it melts properly. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting well.
- Adjust the Cajun seasoning to taste. We like things a little on the spicier side, but you can adjust the spice level to suit your tastes.
🍝What to Serve with Cajun Salmon Pasta
If you're hosting a dinner party or are looking for more things to serve with this tasty pasta, here are a few ideas!
- Appetizer. Get the party started with these marinated mozzarella balls and a little bit of bread for dipping. These corn ribs served with a side of this creamy Wingstop ranch would also be a great choice.
- Salad. This spinach and arugula salad with this creamy balsamic dressing or this honey lemon dressing would be the perfect way to lighten up this creamy meal.
- Bread. Bread and pasta are like a match made in heaven. Aside from just some pieces of crusty bread, you could also serve this with this air fryer garlic bread for a quick and flavorful side.
- Sides. These lemon garlic green beans or this green bean and feta salad would be the perfect light and citrusy accompaniment to this dish.
- Dessert. No dinner party is complete without dessert! Try serving this with air fryer peaches and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or this peanut butter banana cake!
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💭Frequently Asked Questions
The following makes a very large batch, and we only use 3-4 tablespoons and reserve the rest for other recipes. DO NOT use the whole batch of the spice mix in this recipe!
- 2 tablespoons oregano
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika (or regular paprika)
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- ½ tablespoon red pepper flakes (optional, and not a traditional ingredient)
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Do not freeze.
Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of pasta water or broth, and stir to loosen the noodles again.
Absolutely! Feel free to add the salmon to a skillet and cook with a bit of olive oil over medium heat, skin side down first for 3-4 minutes, then turn it over and cook it until it reaches your desired internal temperature with a digital thermometer. We tend to prefer to bake the salmon in the oven for this recipe so that we can work on the sauce and cook the pasta while the salmon cooks, but it's entirely up to you.
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📖 Recipe
Cajun Salmon Pasta
Equipment
- stock pot
- microplane
Ingredients
- 3-4 tablespoons Cajun seasoning divided and to taste (If using store bought, go easy on the added salt, as most brands have added salt.)
- 2-3 teaspoons kosher salt divided and to taste (Depends on if your Cajun seasoning has added salt!)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice (juice of ½ a lemon)
- 2 pounds salmon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium bell peppers chopped
- 1 large onion diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 10-12 cloves fresh garlic minced (1 bulb of garlic)
- 1 whole lemon zested
- 4 ounces tomato paste
- ¾ cup dry white wine can sub seafood or chicken stock (use pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc)
- ¾ cup seafood stock can sub chicken stock or seafood stock
- 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream
- 6 ounces parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 16 ounces fettuccine cooked (or pasta of choice)
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- handful of fresh minced parsley to serve
Instructions
- Pat the salmon dry, and season well with salt and cajun seasoning. Heat a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Drizzle the salmon with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and the juice of half a lemon. Season the salmon with 1-2 teaspoons of kosher salt (to taste) and 1-2 tablespoons of cajun seasoning (to taste). Place in the preheated oven and cook until the internal temperature reaches around 110°F-125°F for medium rare or your desired temperature. If you like your salmon more well done, cook it until it reaches 145°F.
- Meanwhile, start the sauce on the stovetop. To the hot skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Add in the onion, celery, and bell peppers with a pinch of salt. Cook until the peppers and onion are beginning to soften, about 3-4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta al dente, for 1-2 minutes under the package directions. It will continue cooking in the sauce. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water for later.
- Add in 4 ounces of tomato paste, the zest of 1 lemon, the minced garlic, and 1-2 tablespoons more cajun seasoning to taste. Cook until the tomato paste deepens in color, about 3 minutes. Stir often to prevent burning.
- Deglaze the pan with ¾ cup of white wine and ¾ cup of seafood stock, and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to simmer for 3-4 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
- Reduce the heat to low, then stream in 1.5 cups of heavy cream, and stir to combine and warm through.
- Begin adding in the parmesan cheese in small handfuls, stirring in between each addition until the cheese is completely melted before adding another handful.
- Once all of the cheese is incorporated, remove the skillet from the heat and add in the pasta with a splash of pasta water and toss to combine. Next, add in the cooked salmon. Break the salmon into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon. Stir to combine and adjust seasonings to taste.
- Serve with more parmesan cheese, lemon wedges, and fresh parsley. Enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove with more pasta water, broth, stock, or water to loosen the noodles. Do not freeze.
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Notes
- Don't burn the tomato paste or garlic. Be sure to move the tomato paste and garlic around in the pan a lot to prevent anything from sticking and burning, or else the final dish may end up bitter.
- Heavily salt the pasta water. You want about 2 tablespoons of kosher salt for every 1 pound of pasta. The salt will flavor the noodles!
- Cook the pasta until it's al dente (cooked but still firm) to prevent it from becoming mushy. We'd recommend cooking it for 1-2 minutes under what the package recommends for al dente. It will continue cooking in the sauce!
- Reserve some pasta cooking water. It's great for thinning the sauce and for reviving leftovers the next day.
- Taste the sauce as you go and adjust the seasoning as needed to achieve the desired level of saltiness and spiciness.
- Be sure to stir the heavy cream frequently once it's been added and cook it over low heat to prevent the Alfredo sauce from curdling or separating. Do not boil it.
- Use freshly grated parmesan and add it slowly. Make sure each handful of cheese is melted and incorporated before adding the next. Be sure you grate the cheese yourself so that it melts properly. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting well.
- Adjust the Cajun seasoning to taste. We like things a little on the spicier side, but you can adjust the spice level to suit your tastes.
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