Salmon With Garlic Butter and Tomato Pasta

By Ali Slagle

Salmon With Garlic Butter and Tomato Pasta
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(1,322)
Notes
Read community notes

In less than half an hour of swift multitasking, you’ll be feasting on crisp-skinned salmon and delicate noodles dotted with caramelized tomatoes and fresh basil. Start by broiling salmon, skin side up, alongside little tomatoes. Without flipping or stinking up the house, the salmon skin sears and protects the tender flesh from overcooking while the tomatoes grow heavy with juices and char in spots. Meanwhile, cook angel hair pasta on the stovetop with garlic and butter. When both elements are done, stir the tomatoes into the pasta: They’re like water balloons of sweetness and tang among the glossy, unapologetically garlicky noodles.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 4(4- to 6-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets, patted dry
  • 1pint cherry or other small tomatoes
  • 1½tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
  • 3tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 5garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
  • 3basil sprigs, plus ½ cup torn leaves
  • 8ounces angel hair pasta
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

683 calories; 34 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 57 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 38 grams protein; 691 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat the broiler to high. On a foil-lined sheet pan, coat the salmon and tomatoes with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the salmon skin side up. Broil until the tomatoes are blistered and the salmon’s skin is crisp and flesh flakes easily with a fork, 6 to 10 minutes. Halfway through broiling, check on the sheet pan: If the tomatoes are burning, give them a stir. If the salmon skin is burning — congrats, you have a powerful broiler! — move the rack to the center of the oven and keep cooking.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 3 cups water, 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal salt, the basil sprigs and a generous sprinkling of black pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the pasta, breaking the noodles in half if they don’t fit in the skillet. Cook over medium-high, tossing often with tongs or a fork, until the pasta is al dente, 5 to 8 minutes. It’s OK if the water isn’t completely absorbed, but if the skillet looks dry, without any liquid on the bottom of the skillet, add a few tablespoons of water. If the pasta is done before the salmon, remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

  3. Step 3

    When the salmon and tomatoes are out of the oven, transfer the salmon to plates, skin side up, to rest. Remove the basil sprigs from the pasta, then add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pasta and toss until melted and glossing the noodles. Add the tomatoes, any juices from the sheet pan and the basil leaves to the pasta and stir just once to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the salmon alongside the noodles.

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,322 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

CSBeard62

I made this last night with a few modifications to the pasta. I used 3 cups of homemade chicken broth instead of water and added chopped Kalmata olives and capers to the pasta while cooking. Overall a good dish but needs a boost.

suzy

I like this. Especially doing the pasta in a sauté pan-a bit of a revelation. The salmon turned out very tender and my broiler did a great job on the skin as well as the tomatoes. I did have to move it to the middle rack after about 6 minutes. I doubled the receipt because I used a pound of spaghetti (always use the whole package) and my SO loves pasta and can eat a whole pound on his own. Next time I’ll use more garlic and maybe another 1/2 pint of tomatoes. It’s in the rotation.

Aprila

This has to be the most delicious pasta dish I’ve ever had, let alone cooked. The flavors are bright and complex. At the end I stirred in dinosaur kale, sliced crosswise (after removing the spines) into thin ribbons and lightly steamed, which added more color and all those nutrients.

tomaha

Cooked this with a toddler hanging on me. Used chicken stock as someone else suggested and this will now become a go to for busy weeknights. One sheet pan and a sauté pan and dinner is on the table with almost no chopping other than garlic. Doubled the pasta, garlic and butter and it was an instant hit.

PaulyC

I'm going to try adding either capers or kalamata olives next time....

Puddleglum

I'm stumped by this addition of chicken stock everyone is doing. Isn't there a fish in the recipe? Why mix chicken with salmon? If the pasta needs more flavor, add something with umami. Chicken stocks, like other stocks, often have yeast extract included for umami.

#1

A true weeknight meal. I enjoyed it. Added lemon zest, chilli flakes, and more garlic to the pasta.

J. Barnett

This was a great recipe. I read through the notes prior to cooking it and I'm so glad I did. Instead of the 3 cups of water, I used 2.5 cups of chicken broth and a half cup of white cooking wine. It turned out to be a bit sweeter, but had a FANTASTIC flavor. This will be a new go-to for us.

Paul G

Sadly my family did not enjoy this meal. I used stock in place of some of the water for the pasta which was a mistake. I also added a few capers and olives as suggested by a few people. Overall, between the fat in the fish and the butter, there was way too much richness. Might try it again but will be way more gentle on the rich additions.

Gabe

FANTASTIC. EASY. I do NYT cooking recipes 1 to 2x a week. My family made me print this one for when I travel. BIG HIT. Added 2x tomatoes for 1.5 lbs pasta. Doubled garlic. Added crushed red pepper. Two pans were cleanup dream. A new go to.

KMB

Love this! I added extra tomatoes, and I will cut back on the salt next time, but a wonderful and easy meal for our family!

josh lawrence

Phenomenal. I had a bit too much water but it was so thick with pasta gluten that it, along with the tomatoes, made a delightful sauce. Loved the salmon too - this is savant level technique.

substitutes using items on hand

I did not have spaghetti, so used Arborio rice. Cooked the standard 1 cup rice and two cups water instead of the 3 cups water recommended for pasta. Used parsley instead of basil. Added squeeze of lemon to serve. Delicious.

asawyman

I surely cannot understand why this recipe gets five stars. I found it to be a total snore. Sure if you add 25 different things to it, it’s great. Otherwise, bland and ordinary.

LH

This was super delicious and incredibly simple. At the highest setting, my broiler wasn't strong enough to get the salmon skin super crispy by the time the fish was done, but I'm going to blame that on my oven, not the recipe. The pasta was so easy and tasty (could easily be dressed up with other flavors to preference; I added some anchovy and preserved lemon)—the starch from the pasta water makes such a wonderfully velvetty sauce. Will be using that technique in more recipes!

Owen

Really yum! Added some Parmesan on top.

Leo

I've made this recipe a handful of times now. It's fun to tinker with, using what's in season or on hand to make it your own. Last night, I set the salmon on a layer of very thin lemon slices. This slowed the cooking of the flesh (making it easier to not over-cook) and provided more time for the skin to get crispy (which we peel off, slice, and eat standing in the kitchen). And of course, the lemon flavor on the salmon and in the sauce worked well.

note

200 Celsius fan, wrap salmon fillets in individual tin foil parcels with tomato, drizzle over olive oil and salt and paper. Bake for 12 minutes and leave to rest for 3 minutes before opening.

Le Buffam

Orzo with feta and spinach=yum

John28

Made last night to rave reviews. Cooking pasta like this is a game changer for angel hair, and offers a lot of options for pairing beyond salmon, which I will try soon. Consider starting the pasta before the salmon; it takes a while to bring to a boil and give the pasta enough time to absorb the liquid. Not sure I would use chicken broth as others suggested, the flavors melded nicely without an additional underlying flavor profile. I'd probably add peas or cut asparagus for color next time.

Anne

I used olive oil instead of butter (forgot it called for butter), and dill instead of basil (what I had on hand). So simple, so delicious.

Le Buffam

Added kale, pre-steamed just at the end. Deleted salt due to hypertension, and added dried basil and red pepper flakes as I had no fresh basil on hand. Otherwise made according to the recipe. Will make again, maybe serve with lemon next time.

Linda

Simple and delicious! I followed one review that suggested adding capers to the pasta and I think that added a nice brightness to the dish. I also pre-salted my salmon and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours to draw out excess moisture and helped get that good, crispy skin.

Toni

The Pasta was incredible. The Salmon - meh.

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