Pan-Seared Salmon with Lemon Cream Spaghetti Recipe

• 250 g (8.8 oz) dried spaghetti
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ⅛ tsp black pepper
• 3 boneless salmon fillets
• 1 small onion peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• 2 tbsp white wine optional
• 5 tbsp double (heavy) cream
• zest of 1 lemon
• 85 g (1 cup) sugar snap peas (snow peas) roughly chopped
• 1 small courgette (zucchini) spiralized or cut into thin strips
• juice of 1/2 a lemon

To Serve:

• 2-4 tbsp shaved Parmesan
• pinch black pepper
• lemon zest
• lemon wedges

• Place the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling water and simmer for 10–13 minutes until cooked to your liking. Add the sugar snap peas and courgette for the final minute of cooking.
• While the spaghetti cooks, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
• Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place in the pan skin-side down. Cook for 3 minutes until the skin is crispy.
• Turn the salmon and add the chopped onion to the pan. Cook for a further 3 minutes until the onion starts to soften.
• Remove the salmon to a chopping board.
• Add the garlic to the onions and cook for a minute, stirring. Add the wine and let it bubble for a minute, then stir in the cream and reduce the heat to medium.
• Remove the skin from the salmon and break the fish into rough chunks. Return the salmon to the pan with the lemon zest.
• When the spaghetti is almost ready, add the sugar snap peas and courgetti to the pasta for the last minute, then drain the pasta, reserving about half a cup of cooking water.
• Add the spaghetti, sugar snaps and courgetti to the frying pan. Toss with the lemon juice and a couple of splashes of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.
• Divide between four bowls and finish with shaved Parmesan, freshly ground black pepper and a little lemon zest. Serve with lemon wedges.

Use a frying pan large enough to hold all the pasta and courgetti when you toss them together. A 30cm / 12″ pan works well.

Want it more saucy?

Add more reserved pasta water and an extra tablespoon of cream to increase the sauce.

Can I make it gluten free?

Yes — swap the spaghetti for gluten-free spaghetti.

Can I swap salmon for chicken?

Yes — use boneless, skinless chicken fillets and pan-fry them 5–8 minutes longer so they’re fully cooked before shredding. Other white fish can work, and prawns can be added with the softened onions for the last few minutes.

Can I freeze this?

This dish doesn’t freeze well.

Want it lighter?

Replace more or all of the spaghetti with extra courgetti. Replacing all the spaghetti with two additional spiralized zucchini saves roughly 215 calories per portion.

Vegetarian version

Replace the salmon with vegetarian chicken-style strips and use a vegetarian hard cheese instead of Parmesan.

Nutrition info is approximate for one serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 556kcal
| Carbohydrates: 54g
| Protein: 36g
| Fat: 20g