Creamy Pasta with Salmon, Broccoli, and Chives
Whole wheat pasta with al dente broccoli in a creamy sauce of cream cheese, lemon, and fresh chives. The salmon fillet is briefly fried and mixed into juicy pieces with the pasta.
Method
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the whole wheat pasta. Cut the broccoli into small florets and slice the stalk into thin pieces.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Add the broccoli to the pot during the last 4 minutes. Before draining, scoop out 250 ml of the cooking water.
- Meanwhile, pat the salmon fillet dry and cut it into 4 equal pieces. Peel and finely chop the garlic, zest the yellow skin of the lemon, and squeeze the juice from half of the lemon.
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the salmon for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until just cooked through and easily flakes apart. Place the salmon on a plate.
- Lower the heat and sauté the garlic for 1 minute in the same pan. Add the cream cheese, 150 ml of pasta cooking water, and the lemon zest. Stir until smooth and season with black pepper.
- Mix the pasta and broccoli into the sauce. Add extra cooking water if the sauce is too thick. Stir in the chives, divide onto four plates, and break the fried salmon over the top. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.
Veggie swap. Replace the salmon with 250 g firm tofu in cubes. Fry the tofu until golden brown in the olive oil and then continue with the garlic and sauce.
Tip. Cook the salmon just until it is done and only add it to the pasta at the end; this way, the pieces stay juicy.