Because Valentine’s day is just around the corner I decided to make a delicious and quick dish that you can make to celebrate wether it be with friends or your other half. Even if you’re watching this after Valentine’s day believe me when I say you’ll love it anyways. This recipe of salmon pasta with fried capers is really tasty, quick to make and perfect for two.
I love salmon and fish in general but I feel like it happens way too often that people don’t know how to cook it properly. Fish is a meat that requires very little cooking time and it’s awful when cooked more than necessary. Pay attention to the instructions on how to cook the salmon so that doesn’t happen to you :). As a matter of fact I love my salmon “mi cuit” which means cooked halfway through, with a bit of pink still remaining in the inside.
Fried capers are an obsession of mine and have been for a while now because they are deliciously crispy. You have to be careful to really dry them before frying and cover them really quickly so you don’t get burnt. Once you taste them I promise you’ll be addicted to them.
Salmon Pasta with Fried Capers
Ingredients
For the fried capers
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 50 g capers
For the salmon pasta
- 130 g pasta I used penne
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 100 g salmon without skin
- 2 cloves garlic minced or finely grated
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp all purpose flour
- 1 lemon zest only
- 100 ml vino blanco
- 200 ml whipping cream
- 30 g parmesan cheese I used Grana Padano + more to serve
- 6 basil leaves
- to taste salt, pepper and chili flakes
Instructions
For the fried capers
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Discard the liquid that the capers come in and place them on a bowl with kitchen paper. Let them release excess liquid for 5min, then change the paper and leave them for another 5 min.
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Place olive oil in a preheated pan at medium-high heat. Add the capers and put a lid on them immediately because they will start to sizzle and spit.
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Move the pan every once in a while until you fell that they have become crispy. The time will vary depending on how well you dried them.
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Once ready transfer them to a bowl with kitchen paper to remove the excess oil. Reserve until serving time.
For the salmon pasta
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Preheat a pan at medium-high heat.
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Add the butter and olive oil (olive oil prevents the butter from burning) and use them to sear the salmon on both sides. When you put the salmon on the pan you will see the colour of the meat progressively change as it cooks. You want to cook it 3/4 of the way on one side and then flip it and cook it for a minute on the other side. Remember not to move the fish around in the pan so it can become golden.
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Remove the salmon from the pan and lower the heat to medium-low.
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Add the garlic and lemon zest and cook them for a minute stirring constantly.
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Add the Dijon mustard and flour and mix.
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Add the white wine and let it evaporate almost completely while stirring constantly.
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(At this point it’s a good idea to start cooking the pasta.vThe pasta is cooked in water with plenty of salt until it’s al dente. The time varies between 7-10min depending on the pasta. If your pasta is ready before the pasta you can mix it with olive oil so it doesn’t stick to each other.)
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Add the cream to the sauce and let it cook on medium heat while stirring constantly until it has reduced by a half. Add the parmesan cheese and stir to melt it in. Taste the sauce and correct the level of salt and add pepper.
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Add the pasta to the pan with the sauce and mix in to impregnate the flavours.
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Break the salmon with your hands in flakes. Add half of it to the paste and mix it in.
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Serve immediately and finish it with extra salmon on top, fried capers, sliced basil and chili flakes.
