Smoked Salmon Pasta Carbonara

Name: Smoked Salmon Pasta Carbonara
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 9 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 14.1 oz linguine pasta, or similar ((400g)); 3 eggs; 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese; 5.2 oz smoked salmon ((150g)); 1 small bunch fresh parsley; Salt and pepper

By Emily

Feb 08, 2018, Updated Oct 08, 2021

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Healthy and simple Smoked Salmon Pasta Carbonara. Made with just five simple ingredients and ready in 10 minutes. It’s a super quick and delicious weeknight meal that’s creamy (without any cream), luxurious and packed full of flavour! A little twist on a classic pasta carbonara.

An overhead shot of smoked salmon pasta on a plate with chopped parsley on top

Smoked salmon carbonara is a fun twist on a classic and traditional carbonara which is made with guanciale (cured pig jowl).

Although the authentic recipe is insanely delicious and perfect as it is, I love to experiment in the kitchen and swapping the guanciale for smoked salmon was one delicious experiment!

The sauce uses the same technique as the traditional recipe creating the creaminess from eggs and cheese (I used Parmigiano Reggiano instead of pecorino here).

The whole recipe is rich and creamy with a luxurious feel to it (think Christmas and special occasions) whilst remaining super quick, easy and pretty inexpensive.

See the full recipe below with step by step photos and tips!

Step by step photos and recipe instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the linguine or long pasta shape of your choice. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions until al dente.

Meanwhile, cut the smoked salmon into thin strips and finely chop some fresh parsley (this is optional but I think it adds a nice freshness to the pasta).

step by step photos for making smoked salmon pasta

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Next, add the eggs to a bowl and whisk together, add the grated parmesan and a good pinch of salt and pepper, stir to combine.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it back into the pot you cooked it in. Sprinkle over the strips of salmon then add the whisked eggs and parmesan mixture, immediately stir the pasta to coat it evenly in egg and to distribute the salmon throughout the pasta evenly.

Tip: wait exactly 1 minute before pouring over the egg mixture. If the pasta is too hot the eggs will scramble but if it’s too cool the eggs will remain raw.

The pasta should be creamy and evenly coated in sauce. Divide the smoked salmon pasta between bowls and top with a scattering of chopped parsley and an extra grinding of pepper, serve.

a close up of smoked salmon pasta on a plate and sitting on a wooden surface

This has got to be one of the simplest and quickest pasta recipes out there, it is just so easy to make and you can’t really go wrong as long as you use my tip above to prevent the eggs from scrambling.

Eggs to pasta ratio

I’ve seen and made many pasta carbonara recipes in my time and I find that using 1 egg less as many servings works best. Does that make sense? For four servings I use 400g/14oz of pasta (100g per portion) and 3 eggs.

I’ve seen recipes that use as many as 6 eggs for 4 servings and that is just wayyyy too much egg for my liking, I just don’t like the taste. For me, the ratio I’ve used in this recipe works perfectly. The egg just coats the pasta and no more, it’s creamy, silky and exactly how it should be.

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