A healthy and simple smoked salmon pasta carbonara recipe. 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 your average pasta carbonara…
After substituting guanciale or pancetta for smoked salmon in my pasta carbonara I was SO impressed with how much flavour was packed into it with so little ingredients. It’s creamy and smokey and just sooo delicious especially topped with some finely chopped parsley which adds a burst of freshness.
This smoked salmon pasta is made with linguine pasta, one of my favourite long pasta shapes but you could also use spaghetti, fettuccine or even bucatini (a hollow spaghetti shape).
I also make this smoked salmon pasta with a simple and traditional carbonara sauce, there’s no cream involved people, no cream. All the sauce consists of is egg, grated parmesan and salt and pepper. Four of the simplest ingredients that almost everyone has in their kitchen as an everyday staple.
How To Make Smoked Salmon Pasta Carbonara – Step By Step
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).
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.
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.
To Make Traditional Pasta Carbonara
- Substitute the smoked salmon for guanciale (Italian cured pig cheek) or pancetta around 150g/5.2 oz for four servings.
- Fry the pancetta while the pasta is cooking until slightly crispy. Turn off the heat and add the pasta to the pan with the pancetta. Toss to coat then add the eggs and follow instructions as above (omit the chopped parsley and top with more parmesan and pepper).
I hope you enjoy this one!
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Smoked Salmon Pasta Carbonara
Ingredients
- 14.1 oz (400g) linguine pasta, or similar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 5.2 oz (150g) smoked salmon , Scottish if possible
- 1 small bunch fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper
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).
- 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.
Notes
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.
To Make Traditional Pasta Carbonara
- Substitute the smoked salmon for guanciale (Italian cured pig cheek) or pancetta around 150g/5.2 oz for four servings.
- Fry the pancetta while the pasta is cooking until slightly crispy. Turn off the heat and add the pasta to the pan with the pancetta. Toss to coat then add the eggs and follow instructions as above (omit the chopped parsley and top with more parmesan and pepper).
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use this brand for the best results and flavour
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan oven
- Read more about how the nutritional information is calculated here
10 Comments
Liz
February 10, 2018 at 3:37 pmWow my husband loves salmon (and I love pasta!) so this sounds like a great recipe for us both!
Inside the rustic kitchen
February 10, 2018 at 6:10 pmYou’ll need to try it, sooo good! 😀
Danielle Wolter
February 10, 2018 at 3:08 pmOMG this sounds amazing! Smoked salmon is so yummy and I never thought of using it in carbonara. Love it! Pinned for later.
Inside the rustic kitchen
February 10, 2018 at 6:10 pmThanks so much Danielle!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
February 10, 2018 at 3:00 pmMy family loves a carbonara and this one looks absolutely delicious – I usually make mine using cream so will have to try it without.
Inside the rustic kitchen
February 10, 2018 at 6:11 pmDefinitely try it without, it’s much lighter but just as delicious!
Elizabeth
February 10, 2018 at 2:01 pmI am absolutely loving the look of this! Love how it’s only 300 calories too as these kinds of dishes can often be very calorific.
Charla @ That Girl Cooks Healthy
February 10, 2018 at 1:27 pmI’m drooling over here because your recipe looks so darn good. I cannot say I’m well verse with Italian cuisines but would love to explore them some time.
Alia @ Everyday Easy Eats
February 9, 2018 at 12:38 amOoo Emily your Smoked Salmon Pasta Carbonara looks and sounds delicious!! I love how the recipe uses such few ingredients to make a full meal. Your photos look great and the step-by-step instructions and process shots are so helpful!! Great work! 🙂
Inside the rustic kitchen
February 10, 2018 at 10:11 amThanks so much Alia, that’s so nice of you!