I’ve been making some version or another of this pasta for almost 2 decades. I know there are a lot of opinions about cheese and fish, but I promise this is incredibly delicious. When I need something quick & easy to make for dinner, Fusillotti With Salmon is something my husband and I always enjoy and it takes less than half an hour. It couldn’t be any easier!
Fusillotti is new to me. I found it recently in an Italian food store in North London miles away from where I live and now I can’t stop ordering it off the internet. I find the large spirals really suits this particular recipe and it’s always fun to try a new pasta shape. Fusillotti is basically like oversized fusilli and if it’s not convenient for you, it’s absolutely fine to use a substitute. Fusilli, penne, farfalle, zitti or orecchiette will all work perfectly for this recipe.
The sauce for Fusillotti With Salmon really benefits from the use of wine and a stock pot or cube to give it a bit of richness. If I’m honest, I prefer using the little stock pots because they taste better and they melt so beautifully when stirred into dishes, but cubes will work as well. Any dry white wine is fine to use or even a dry sparkling wine like Champagne or Prosecco if you happen to have some leftover in your fridge. It doesn’t need to be fizzy anymore, making this a great way to use up what’s left from a bottle you didn’t quite finish. I use either all the time, but I will say that if you’re having Champagne at all or have any left in the fridge from a bottle recently opened, it’s the perfect excuse to make this recipe because it’s especially nice when made with some fancy French bubbly! Let’s get started!
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 300g fusillotti pasta (or fusilli or other short pasta shape of your choice)
- 2 table spoons olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- Pinch of chilli flakes
- 2 boneless, skinless salmon fillets (approximately 250g total)
- Zest & juice of 1 lemon
- Glass of white wine
- 1 chicken stock pot or cube (or vegetarian stock pot or cube if cooking for Pescatarians)
- 30g Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- Salt & pepper
- Knob of butter
Method
- Put a pot of salted water with a few drops of olive oil on to boil. When it’s boiling, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, checking it a minute or two earlier than the specified time if you prefer it al dente. When the pasta is done, reserve a cup of the starchy pasta cooking water before straining.
- Meanwhile you can start with the sauce. In a large frying pan or flame-proof casserole heat the olive oil over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the garlic and chilli flakes. Cook for about a minute, stirring until the garlic softens.
- Add the salmon fillets to the pan and as it begins to soften, break it up with a wood spoon or a spatula. When it’s all broken up into pieces and most of it’s rawness is gone, sprinkle in the lemon zest and give it a good stir.
- Now stir in the stock pot or stock cube to melt it into this mixture. Once it’s fairly well incorporated, add the lemon juice, the white wine and season with a little salt and a generous crack of black pepper. Stir to combine and let this simmer away until it reduces into a thick and syrupy mixture. Now stir in the Parmesan cheese until it’s melted and combined. (If the sauce thickens before the pasta finishes cooking, simply turn off the heat underneath after incorporating the Parmesan cheese and pop on the lid to keep it warm until the next step. It will be fine for a few minutes.)
- Add the pasta to the sauce with a little bit of the pasta water – just a little at a time – which will help the sauce coat the pasta. Finally stir in a knob of butter and if needed a little more pasta water until it glossy and fully coated in the rich salmon sauce.
- To serve, divide the pasta between two bowls or plates and finish with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
