Sunday, April 12: Pasta with Smoked Salmon, Asparagus, and Creme Fraiche
Happy Easter! Made one of my favorite springtime pastas tonight: smoked salmon, asparagus, and creme fraiche! It’s flavored with lots of fresh dill, lemon, shallot, and black pepper, all in a creamy sauce with sweet asparagus and smokey salmon. Love love love it. Perfect with a few glasses of rose! (And a bonus? The combination of pink salmon with green asparagus and dill creates a beautiful spring color palette.)
Get one pound of pasta cooking in a pot of salted boiling water, and cook until al dente. (I used cavatappi, but really any noodle would work!)
The sauce comes together quickly. First, saute one large or two small minced shallots in a few TB olive oil over medium-low heat for a few minutes, in a high-sided saute pan or pot large enough to toss a pound of pasta in. Increase heat to medium and add 1 bunch of asparagus (chopped into 1/2-1 inch pieces) and a pinch of salt; saute for about 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Add the zest of one lemon and a large bunch of minced dill (about 1/2-3/4 cup if you really like fresh dill like me, but feel free to start with 1/4 cup and go up from there! — be sure to reserve some to sprinkle on top of each bowl). Add 8 ounces smoked salmon, chopped into bite-sized pieces (hot or cold smoked salmon/lox would work — I used a lox style tonight). Stir and cook for a few minutes to meld flavors and heat everything up. Finally, stir in 6-8 ounces of creme fraiche, the juice of 1 lemon (start with 1/2 lemon and go from there), and lots of freshly ground pepper. Stir to combine into a creamy sauce.
When your pasta is done, add to sauce along with a splash of pasta cooking water. Continue to cook over low heat for a few minutes, tossing constantly, to allow the sauce to reduce, thicken, and coat each noodle. Be sure to end with sauce a bit looser than you’d like, as the pasta will continue to absorb some liquid as it sits and you don’t want it to dry out. I like to let the pasta sit for a few minutes and then give a big stir — you’ll see that the sauce has thickened further into a beautiful creamy consistency. Taste and adjust for salt and lemon. Serve in bowls with extra fresh dill sprinkled on top.