Lemon Garlic Pasta With Fresh Salmon & Asparagus. Never buy farm-fed salmon again. Always look for wild salmon. Farm-fed salmon are mushy and have less flavor. Wild salmon are much happier and it shows. Stick with wild and your dinners will go swimmingly. Here’s a quick & simple dinner for those routine school nights when you need a little wild in your life.
Lemon Garlic Pasta With Fresh Salmon & Asparagus
Makes about 6 servings.
Preheat oven to 350F.
- 1/2 pound wild Alaskan salmon (look for the glorious Wild Copper River Salmon around May)
- 2 cloves elephant garlic
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 bunch asparagus (about 10 stems)
- 1 pound pasta
- 1/8 cup olive oil
- Zest & juice from 1 fresh lemon
- Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Place salmon on a baking sheet with a piece of foil under it. Top with butter pieces. Season with salt & pepper. Place garlic cloves on the baking sheet as well so they can roast while the salmon bakes. Place in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Bend asparagus gently to find the weak spot. Break asparagus ends off at the weak spot. Discard ends.
Place a large saucepan of water over high heat. Add a dash of salt. Bring to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice-y cold water and set it aside.
When water comes to a boil, place asparagus tops into a saucepan for 2 minutes. Using tongs, quickly remove asparagus from hot water and place it into a prepared cold water bath for about a minute, then remove and set aside.
Bring hot water to a boil again and add pasta. Boil for as long as instructions on the box say (pasta varieties all cook for different lengths of time). Remove from heat when al dente and drain hot water.
Place pasta and asparagus into a large bowl. After salmon is done cooking, remove it from the oven. Remove the skin and place salmon in a pasta bowl.
Remove garlic skins and place cloves into a blender or small food processor with olive oil and process until minced (or you can smash it with a knife). Add olive oil & garlic mixture to pasta.
Grate lemon zest over pasta. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into pasta. Stir well. Salt & Pepper to taste. Serve topped with Parmigiano Reggiano.
For added splurging, you can also drizzle with hollandaise sauce. Oh, for all that is holy and wild.