Across Italy · No.64 / 103
Smoked salmon and lemon farfalle
Smoked salmon and lemon farfalle
Farfalle is drained one minute early and warmed for less than two minutes with smoked salmon, butter, and lemon zest; the dish contains no cream.
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Meet the dish
A quick pasta that warms smoked salmon briefly in lemon butter
Butter and lemon zest transfer smoked salmon's fat and salinity to farfalle without covering it in cream or cheese. The fish is not fried; residual pasta heat and a very brief low flame stop as it begins to turn pale pink.
Pasta shapes to use
- Farfalle, whose pinched centers retain a firmer bite
Key ingredients
- Farfalle
- Smoked salmon
- Butter
- Lemon zest
- Black pepper
Follow the cooking scenes
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Step 1: Set the ingredients in a cold skillet
Cut smoked salmon into bite-size strips and place it with butter and finely grated lemon zest in a wide, unheated skillet. Do not salt the sauce because the smoked fish is already seasoned.
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Step 2: Drain farfalle one minute early
Boil farfalle in well-salted water and remove it one minute before the package time. Keep a little surface moisture on the pasta and transfer it directly, while very hot, to the salmon skillet.
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Step 3: Toss over low heat for under two minutes
Set the skillet over low heat and turn the pasta as the butter melts. Stop in under two minutes, just as the salmon begins to turn opaque, add black pepper, and serve immediately.
What to watch for
- Do not preheat the butter and salmon. Starting with hot pasta melts the butter before the fish has time to become dry and firm.
- Use finely grated yellow zest rather than pith or a large amount of juice. Pith is bitter, while too much juice destabilizes the butter coating.
What sets it apart
Unlike salmon cream pasta, this dish contains neither cream nor cheese; smoked salmon, butter, and lemon zest provide the entire coating.