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Home » Course » Quick and Easy

Quick and Easy

Light Lemon Garlic Pasta with Salmon

Published: June 20, 2015   |   Updated: June 30, 2022   |   167 Comments

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4.9 from 56 reviews
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Get into summer full swing with this light lemon garlic pasta with salmon. Full of fresh, summer flavors!

Get into summer full swing with this light lemon garlic pasta with salmon. Full of fresh, summer flavors!

Here’s one of my favorite light, summery, sunny type pastas. This light lemon garlic pasta with salmon also has the good fortune of being healthy!

It’s all about simplicity and freshness. With fresh basil, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, capers and salmon, you practically have summer on a plate.

Get into summer full swing with this light lemon garlic pasta with salmon. Full of fresh, summer flavors!

And to top it off, for a tiny bit of decadence, we’ll sprinkle some Parmesan loving on it. There’s no cream sauce to carry it so this is all about the goodness and tastiness of high-quality olive oil mixed with fresh, awesome flavors.

Shall we?

How To Make Light Lemon Garlic Pasta With Salmon (1 Min Video)

LIGHT LEMON GARLIC PASTA RECIPE TIPS

Start off by cooking the pasta. I went with rigatoni for this recipe but you can use any kind of pasta you like: spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, pappardelle, or other tube-type pasta. If you want it even healthier, sub with whole wheat pasta instead.

While the pasta cooks, season your salmon fillets with salt and pepper to taste and bake it until cooked. You can also pan-sear the salmon for something crispier, about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on thickness. However you decide to prep your salmon, make sure to flake or cube it into bite-sized pieces so there’s enough to go around once we mix it all up later.

Get into summer full swing with this light lemon garlic pasta with salmon. Full of fresh, summer flavors!

Mince the garlic, chop the basil and get your lemon rind ready while the pasta and salmon cook. As usual, I’m gonna advocate using a microplane for grating your rind and Parmesan cheese. It’s worth it.

Drain the pasta and mix it all up with some good-quality olive oil. You’ll want something high quality because this will be the ‘sauce’ that binds the flavors together, so it has to be delicious. I used extra virgin olive oil here. If you don’t know the difference between regular olive oil, virgin olive oil and extra virgin olive oil, here’s a great guide explaining it. Feel free to add more olive oil if you feel the pasta is a bit too dry for your liking and be sure to add some while heating up any leftovers.

Now it’s time to add some fresh basil to the pasta. If you can’t justify getting fresh basil for just one dish and don’t have any growing in your garden, an alternative is to use lightly dried basil from Gourmet Garden. It looks like this and you should be able to find it in the fresh vegetable aisle in your grocery store. They smell fresher than the usually dried herbs and keep long in the fridge. Throw in some freshly minced garlic with some salt and pepper to taste, then toss the pasta to mix.

Get into summer full swing with this light lemon garlic pasta with salmon. Full of fresh, summer flavors!

Then we add fresh lemon juice, lemon zest and capers to the pasta for some citrus flavor. By now the salmon should be cooked, so flake it, then add it to the pasta. Be gentle during the tossing so you don’t end up with salmon shreds.

The baking time of the salmon will vary depending on how thick your fillet is. The standard rule of thumb is to cook for 10 minutes per inch of thickness which is measured from the salmon’s thickest point. If you start getting too much whitish stuff, you’ve cooked it too long.

Get into summer full swing with this light lemon garlic pasta with salmon. Full of fresh, summer flavors!

And you’re ready to serve. Now the fun part begins by plating the pasta and topping it with freshly grated or shaved Parmesan cheese. I prefer shaved cause every now and then I find a Parmesan shaving and it feels like you’ve discovered some treasure. Also, if you happen to like olives, this pasta really goes well with it!

Happy eating!

MORE SALMON RECIPES TO TRY

  • Creamy Salmon Pasta with Spinach
  • Creamy Garlic Butter Salmon
  • Lemon and Parmesan-Crusted Salmon
  • Salmon Piccata
  • Salmon in Creamy Dill Sauce

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A plate of salmon pasta with fresh basil and lemon wedges.

Light Lemon Garlic Pasta with Salmon


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.9 from 56 reviews

  • Author: The Cooking Jar
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
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Description

Get into summer full swing with this light lemon garlic pasta with salmon. Full of fresh, summer flavors!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 16 oz. rigatoni/pasta
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 lb. salmon fillet
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons capers
  • Parmesan cheese, shaved or grated

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, season salmon with salt and pepper to taste and bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, depending on thickness.
  3. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and toss with garlic, olive oil, basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Add lemon juice, zest and capers to the pasta and toss to mix.
  5. Flake the salmon into bite-size pieces.
  6. Gently toss salmon with the pasta.
  7. Dish and serve hot topped with freshly grated or shaved Parmesan cheese.

Notes

If the pasta feels too dry when reheating leftovers, add more olive oil after heating it up.

  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins

Did you make this recipe?

Let me know how you liked it, what substitutions you made, or what you paired it with in the comments below. If you enjoyed it, help me out with a  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating!

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posted in: Main Dishes, Pasta, Popular Recipes, Quick and Easy, Seafood, Stovetop

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Paul M Levisohn says

    July 5, 2018

    Beautiful recipe with left over salmon from July 4 get-together. Easy, tasty. I served it at room temperature since salmon was already cooked. Will definitely use this recipe again. I loved that it was not a cream sauce – the lemon was outstanding.

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      December 18, 2018

      Thanks for trying it out, Paul. I’m hearing a lot how it works great with leftover salmon, so I’m glad people have managed to find a way to re-purpose those leftovers !

      Reply
  2. Deb says

    April 6, 2018

    Looks fabulous, but sadly I have no fresh basil! Not sure the dried stuff would do this justice, so saving for another day. (Which should be soon, as we have salmon weekly!) thanks,

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      April 27, 2018

      I do recommend fresh basil. It makes a world of difference. There’s some herbs that are okay dried but some that lose all its flavor. Basil is one of them. And since the dish is very, very simple with few specific ingredients to carry the flavor, you’ll be missing out!

      Reply
  3. Alice Taylor says

    March 11, 2018

    This has become a Friday night regular in our house now. With good quality, organic ingredients, this dish is a harmony of flavours 🙂

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      April 27, 2018

      I’m glad to hear it’s a staple somewhere! You cook it more often than I do at this point 😉 I usually make it once a year when I remember, usually it’s after answering comments here. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Annette says

    February 17, 2018

    Saw this recipe and my mouth watered. Made it that night and I have to say, it’s delicious. Light, flavoursome and super easy to make. I’m coeliac and used gluten free pasta and turned out perfect. This will be regular I think.

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      February 19, 2018

      It’s good to know it’s just as tasty with gluten free pasta, Annette! Thank you for trying it out.

      Reply
  5. Jason says

    February 13, 2018

    This is a lovely recipe! I blanch some diagonally cut bite size pieces of asparagus for a couple of minutes, ice bathe them to stop cooking, and sauce in some butter and lemon juice and add to the dish as well as some red chili flake. Lots of options to make this your own. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      February 19, 2018

      Wonderful addition. I can see you know your way around the kitchen with the ice bath and spicy lemon butter sauce. Asparagus plays really nice with this to add some crunch as well as a splash of green on top of the basil leaves.

      Reply
  6. Lis says

    February 3, 2018

    Are there any light cheese I can use apart from parmesan? Cos my family don’t like the taste of parmesan. The only cheese they like is mozzarella

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      February 5, 2018

      Not that I know really. If they don’t enjoy Parmesan then I suggest leaving it out. Good luck, Lis!

      Reply
  7. Karen BRASETH says

    January 22, 2018

    IT is very good as written, and is extremely similar to one of my family‘s favourite recipes, tuna lemon caper pasta.

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      January 29, 2018

      Never tried it with tuna before. I’m guessing since it’s a family favorite, the flavors work too!

      Reply
  8. AnnMarie says

    January 16, 2018

    Made this tonight for dinner. It was amazing!!! I also added fresh shrimp with the salmon and the family loved it!!! Will make it again

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      January 29, 2018

      Shrimp and salmon, it’s nice to hear of the variations you guys have done!

      Reply
  9. Peonyy says

    December 16, 2017

    My son suggested me try your salmon pasta. It’s delicious. Thank you.

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      January 29, 2018

      Wow, I’m flattered to be recommended like that!

      Reply
  10. Daniela says

    December 14, 2017

    As a person who doesn’t cook often. THIS WAS AMAZING. Super simple and easy to follow. I dint have salmon so I used shrimp but I loved it.

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      January 29, 2018

      Shrimp works too, just gotta be careful not to overcook them. Once they start shrinking and curling too much, they’re overcooked! I’m glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  11. The Cooking Jar says

    December 6, 2017

    You’re welcome, Samantha!

    Reply
  12. Mariana says

    November 25, 2017

    I just made this and it was phenomenal! I was just out of capers and parmesan, the parmesan would make this dish just better, I didn’t miss the capers, though. Will definitely be making this again!

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      December 6, 2017

      Capers are either you love it or hate it. I used to hate it but it grew on me. The Parmesan flakes are honestly one of the best parts of this dish, don’t miss out on it next time 😉

      Reply
  13. Tashina Schimming says

    July 31, 2017

    This was amazing!!! Thank you!!

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      August 2, 2017

      Thank you, Tashina! I recently made another batch for myself this year and it was still as good as I remember it. I’m glad you liked it too!

      Reply
  14. Kes says

    June 21, 2017

    Made this yesterday and my husband and I loved it! It is simple, yet so tasty and flavourful. Will definitely be making it again.

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      June 22, 2017

      We just bought some salmon from Costco so we’re gonna be making this for ourselves again soon. I’ve been craving it lately. Thanks for trying it out, Kes!

      Reply
  15. Jeremy says

    May 21, 2017

    just seen this recipe, inspired me to try it using fettucine as i dont have any rigatoni, great idea – thanks from Switzerland where fresh Salmon is like gold.

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      May 23, 2017

      Fettuccine works too. I hope you liked it, Jeremy. I might just make another batch soon, Have a hankering for it now.

      Reply
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A plate of salmon pasta with fresh basil and lemon wedges.
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