Servings: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
I love growing fresh herbs in the summer, from fresh basil and fresh parsley to grassy, citrusy dill. In fact, the fresh dill growing in my garden was the inspiration for this creamy pasta salad recipe. That, and some leftover salmon I had in the fridge.
If you love the earthy flavor of dill, you’re in the right place.
Ingredients
You’ll only need 7 simple ingredients to make this creamy salmon pasta recipe:
- Fresh salmon fillets
- Short cut pasta. Any kind of pasta is fine as long as they’re bite-sized pieces and not long pasta like angel hair or spaghetti.
- Mayonnaise
- Dijon mustard
- Red onion
- Celery
- Fresh dill
How to Make Salmon and Dill Pasta Salad
Cook the Salmon and the Pasta
We’re going to roast the salmon in the oven. You could also do this in the air fryer or on the grill. It’s very easy to do: simply season the salmon with salt and black pepper and roast it until it’s flaky.
Let the salmon cook while you boil and drain the pasta according to the package directions. Go ahead and rinse it with cold water. We don’t need to keep any of that starchy pasta water around because we are doing a cold pasta salad anyway.
Flake the Salmon
Now, grab a fork and flake the salmon. It should be tender and not dry, easy to flake.
Make the Dressing
The creamy dressing for this pasta salad doesn’t have any heavy cream, Parmesan cheese or really any dairy at all.
We’re using mayonnaise for creaminess and Dijon mustard for a little bit of tang. These two ingredients make a flavorful base for our pasta salad.
The end result is very light, making it a great recipe for warm weather.
Toss it all Together
The last step is to combine the pasta, chopped onions, flaked salmon and diced celery with the dressing. Easy!
Serving Suggestions
1. Warm or Cold: Enjoy this creamy salmon pasta dish cold or warm. Our family has always loved it cold, but either way is delicious.
2. As a Side Dish: Serve this pasta salad as you would any other side dish at a summer barbecue. It’s a fresh and delicious change of pace from ordinary pasta salad.
3. As a Main Course: There’s enough protein in this dish to enjoy it as a main course! Serve it with a green salad, a loaf of crusty bread and a chilled bottle of white wine.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover salmon and dill pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up to 5 days.
Leftovers make a quick and easy meal on a busy weeknight.
Buying the Best Fish
While fresh salmon is always nice, you can save yourself some extra cost by buying frozen salmon instead.
I love buying frozen salmon fillets from Costco – they’re individually vacuum sealed, so we can easily pop as many as we need out of the freezer.
No Costco? No problem. Any regular grocery store should also carry frozen salmon.
Just be sure to ask for fillets! Salmon steaks will still have the bones.
How to Know when Salmon is done
Baked salmon should easily flake with a fork when it’s done. It also reaches an internal temperature of 145F degrees.
People prefer salmon at many different stages of doneness. For the purpose of this recipe, you want the salmon to be opaque with a pale pink color throughout.
How to make a creamy sauce without cream
If you’re looking to avoid dairy in your cream sauce, try using mayonnaise. It’s a great way to give cold salads like coleslaw, pasta salad and potato salad a creamy texture without any cream.
When you make this salmon and dill pasta salad recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a star rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!
For more easy salmon recipes, try these:
For more pasta recipes, try these:
Creamy Salmon and Dill Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb. orecchiette pasta
- 2.5 lbs. salmon fillets
- 1 cup red onion diced
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup fresh dill chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven or grill to 400 degrees. Pat the salmon with paper towels and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes (grill time will be slightly less), until fish flakes with a fork.
- Remove the salmon onto a cutting board and use a fork to make flaky pieces.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta 8-9 minutes until al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water.
- In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, onion, celery, mustard and dill. Add the pasta and toss together. Gently fold in the flaked salmon. Chill before serving.
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