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Canned Salmon Pasta with Creme Fraiche

Canned salmon pasta in a creamy creme fraiche sauce with cornichons, fresh dill and a squeeze of lemon, a delicious quick and easy meal.

When I say quick, this dish can comfortably go from your store cupboard to your table in under 20 minutes!

Canned salmon pasta with linguini, creme fraiche and cornichons on a fork.

Tinned Salmon Pasta

I love fish-based pasta dishes and this canned salmon linguine recipe sits as a counterpoint to dishes like my fresh salmon and pea pasta and tomato and salmon pasta recipes.

Canned fish is glorious, it is marginally more affordable than fresh fish, particularly the good stuff. However, it can sit in the cupboard for months, even years ready for a quick meal at the drop of a hat.

I went through a phase of turning my nose up at tinned fish.

But playing around with dishes like canned mackerel fishcakes and tuna and tomato pasta really changed my mind.

Now I always have a few tins in the cupboard ready for dinner at the drop of a hat.

Aside from the fresh dill and creme fraiche, which also stars in my ham and mushroom tagliatelle and spinach and mushroom pasta recipes, I always have all of the ingredients in the cupboard, so minimal shopping is needed.

It is delicious and creamy but the genius addition, even if I say so myself, of cornichons helps cut through the richness of both the fish and creme fraiche.

Canned salmon pasta with linguini, cornichons and dill.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different type of pasta?

Yes, of course! Fettucini, tagliatelle and pappardelle all work really well.

However other shapes like orecchiette, farfalle and even conchiglie are good also. I would avoid tubes like rigatoni or penne though because the fish really can’t get into them.

Can I use fresh salmon?

For me, fresh pasta does not work in this recipe, both the texture and the flavour are not quite right.

Can I use dried dill?

Yes, although I would avoid garnishing the dish with dried dill! I would use 1-2 teaspoons in this recipe.

If you want to use dried, then add it just before you pour over the fish stock and stage 8.

Can I use something other than creme fraiche?

A question asked by my US based readers as creme fraiche is not as readily available as it is in Europe.

You could use either sour cream or heavy cream. Sour cream is typically around 20% fat so it does have a higher risk of curdling than creme fraiche.

Overhead canned salmon linguini pasta with creme fraiche and cornichons.

Serving Suggestions

Dishes like this canned salmon pasta recipe are one-dish meals for me.

That does not stop greedy me from squeezing a little something in on the side though!

Usually, that would take the form of some simple garlic bread.

Although if I’m also rather partial to serving it with a little warmed focaccia or ciabatta to mop up any sauce left on the plate!

Close up tinned salmon pasta with creme fraiche, cornichons and fresh dill.

Equipment Used

I usually do not recommend specifically branded equipment unless I think that it is essential for the recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

  • Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
  • Medium frying pan (24cm or 10″).
  • A saucepan for boiling pasta, anything over 24cm (10″) is fine.
  • Sharp kitchen knife.
  • Chopping board.
  • Stovetop.
  • Colander or sieve.
Canned salmon pasta with creme fraiche, cornichons and a fresh dill garnish on a fork.
Yield: 2 Servings

Canned Salmon Pasta Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

This sub 20-minute canned salmon pasta recipe is an easy mid-week meal, creme fraiche forms the creamy element and the richness is cut through by cornichons.

Ingredients

  • 175g (6 oz) Linguini
  • 215g (7oz) Tin Salmon
  • 50g (⅓ Cup) Cornichons
  • 1 (35g) Shallot
  • 75ml (⅓ Cup) Fish Stock
  • 75g (¼ Cup) Creme Fraiche
  • 1 Tsp Lemon Juice
  • 20g (⅓ Cup) Fresh Dill
  • ¼ Tsp Salt (Plus extra for boiling pasta)
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Instructions

  1. Pick any bones from the tinned salmon and flake the fish.
  2. Cut the cornichons into 5mm lengths.
  3. Dice the shallot as finely as you can.
  4. Chop the dill as finely as you can.
  5. Bring a pan of well-salted water (1 tablespoon for every 4 litres of water) to a rolling boil and then cook the pasta for a minute less than it says on the packet.
  6. Heat the olive oil in a small-medium (24 cm) frying pan over a medium-low heat.
  7. Add the diced shallot to the olive oil and sweat gently for 2-3 minutes without colouring.
  8. Pour the fish stock over the shallots and simmer for 2 minutes.
  9. Add the creme fraiche, tinned salmon, cornichons, lemon juice and salt and cook gently until the pasta is ready, which should be another 2-3 minutes.
  10. Drain the pasta reserving a little of the pasta cooking water and add the pasta to the sauce along with most of the dill (reserve a little for garnish).
  11. Stir the pasta to coat adding just enough of the reserved cooking water to create a nice coating for the pasta.
  12. Serve garnished with the remaining dill.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 545Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 137mgSodium: 942mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gProtein: 33g

Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

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