Salmon Pasta with Lemon Garlic Butter

Are you a fan of quick and easy dinners that come together with little effort and simple ingredients?

Then you’re going to love this salmon pasta recipe. It’s simple enough to make for busy weeknight dinners and elegant enough to serve to friends at a dinner party. It’s basically like salmon scampi!

You know I’m no stranger when it comes to seafood and pasta. And of course, garlic.

They’re a flavor match made in heaven. If you agree, you definitely have to try Seared Scallops in a Creamy Garlic Sauce, summery Salmon Pesto Pasta, bright and briny Shrimp Picatta, and super buttery Shrimp Scampi.

As written, this pasta recipe is two servings, which means it’s a perfect date night recipe. But never fear if you have more mouths to feed or want to impress with ease at a dinner party, it can easily be doubled or tripled for more servings.

Now, in just 30 minutes you’ll have a delicious seafood pasta dinner. Let’s get cooking!

What You’ll Need to Make Garlic Butter Pasta

There are just a few simple ingredients that come together to make this pasta recipe, which is just one more thing to love about it! Here they are:

• Salmon – fresh or frozen (but thawed) salmon will work in this recipe. Be on the lookout for sustainably farmed or caught salmon when purchasing.
• Fresh Lemon – fresh lemon juice and zest in this recipe are key! I always advocate for fresh lemon juice as it delivers the freshest, pure lemon flavor without any aftertaste or additives. Be sure to zest the lemon first, then proceed with juicing.
• Butter – a key component! Use high-quality butter for the most luxurious sauce. I always use unsalted so I can add the amount of salt to my liking.
• Garlic – you can’t have garlic butter sauce without a lot of garlic! Like the lemon, I highly recommend using fresh garlic for the best flavor. Mincing the garlic helps it incorporate evenly throughout the sauce, too. If you need a recommendation this is my favorite garlic press (hands down!).
• Red Pepper Flakes – my favorite way to add more flavor to pasta! A pinch rounds out the flavor without adding too much spice. You can omit it if you’d like.
• Yellow Onion – use a yellow onion for a mild, slightly sweet flavor.
• Whole Wheat Spaghetti– using whole wheat pasta for this recipe is a winner and makes it a little ‘healthier’ according to some. While I just love carbs, I enjoy the heartiness that using whole wheat pasta in this recipe gives. You can absolutely use whatever pasta you have on hand (and any shape will work, too!).
• Parsley– a bright garnish that compliments the lemon and garlic in the sauce.

How to Make Salmon Pasta

This super-simple pasta starts with lemon garlic butter. It’s both in the pasta sauce and in the salmon, infusing the flavor throughout each component of this recipe.

Combine the melted butter with garlic, lemon zest and fresh lemon juice, and a pinch of red pepper flakes for good measure (of course you can omit or sub freshly ground black pepper if you prefer!). This will get divided out in a minute…

Salmon in Foil Packet

Next, make the foil packet for the salmon. I like making the salmon in a foil packet because it’s SO EASY. Like, so, so easy. While we could pan-fry the salmon before we make the sauce, letting it bake with the lemon garlic butter infuses the flavor and creates less mess.

Get a large piece of heavy-duty foil, or layer two pieces of regular foil, and place the salmon in the center. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then spread on half of the lemon garlic butter mixture. Fold the long edge of the foil over itself, and wrap in the ends, creating a packet with all sealed edges.

As the salmon bakes, prepare the pasta and the sauce.

Sauce and Pasta Time!

The first thing to do is get the salted pasta water boiling, as this will take some time. The sauce comes together quite quickly, so don’t start it until the pasta water is already boiling.

Once it boils, cook the pasta a few minutes shy of al dente, so that it can finish cooking in the sauce without risk of overcooking.

Be sure to reserve some pasta water before draining the pasta! Gently scoop some out with a glass or metal measuring cup that has a handle for easy maneuvering.

As the pasta and salmon cook, prepare the sauce by first sauteing the onion until tender. Then add the remaining lemon garlic butter mixture to create the sauce. Add pasta water to thin out the sauce. Using pasta water also helps ensure the sauce sticks to the pasta because of its starchiness.

Transfer the spaghetti to the sauce directly from the pasta water (again, it’s ok if a little pasta water is transferred over too because we’re using it in the sauce!). Toss it all together, allowing the pasta and sauce to cook together for a minute or two until the pasta is perfectly al dente.

With the salmon tender and flakey, serve it in full filets on top of the pasta or flake it throughout the finished pasta dish for a more cohesive feel.

Garnish with fresh parsley for a pop of color and flavor and enjoy!

What to Serve with Salmon Pasta

It’s no surprise my first go-to when it comes to seafood pasta is to serve it with a glass of chilled white wine. Here are a few of my other favorites to serve with it though, because variety is the spice of life!

• Roasted Broccolini
• A simple green salad
• Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
• Green Beans and Mushrooms
• Instant Pot Steamed Carrots

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!