By Florence Fabricant
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- 5(2,453)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Fresh pasta, asparagus and smoked salmon are tossed with shallot cream sauce in this elegant weeknight dinner that can be prepared in well under an hour.
Featured in: FOOD; Vegetables and Pasta: Seductive, Simple
Learn: How to Cook Salmon
Learn: How to Make Pasta
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- ½pound fresh asparagus, medium thickness
- Salt
- 1tablespoon butter
- ½tablespoon minced shallots
- 1cup heavy cream
- 4ounces smoked salmon sliced ¼-inch thick
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 9 to 10ounces fresh green fettuccine noodles
- 2tablespoons minced fresh dill
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
525 calories; 27 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 55 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 17 grams protein; 509 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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Step
1
Snap off the ends of the asparagus where they break naturally and peel the stalks. Cut the asparagus on a slant to pieces about an inch long.
Step
2
Steam the asparagus until they are just barely tender and still bright green, about three minutes. Rinse under cold water, drain well on paper towels and set aside.
Step
3
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
Step
4
While the water is coming to a boil, melt the butter in a large heavy skillet. Add the shallots and saute until soft but not brown. Stir in the cream and simmer about five minutes, until the cream has thickened somewhat.
Step
5
Cut the salmon into slivers, add it to the cream and remove the skillet from the heat. Season with pepper and lemon juice. Add the asparagus.
Step
6
When the pot of water is boiling, add the fettuccine, stir it once or twice, then cook two to three minutes after the water has returned to a boil. Drain well.
Step
7
Briefly reheat the sauce. Transfer the fettuccine to a warm serving bowl, pour the sauce over it and toss. Sprinkle with dill and serve.
Ratings
5
out of 5
2,453
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Cooking Notes
Jeannie
Spare yourself a dirty pan and add the asparagus to the pasta for the last 2 minutes of the pasta cooking. In lieu of or in addition to dill, try spring onion and/or parsley. You can shave some calories with light cream vs heavy without compromising taste.
Tom Alberti
I've used Black ink linguine, canned smoked salmon and white mini asparagus. I've cooked asparagus in pan along with butter and shallots (saw a tv show once, where they recommended cooking asparagus in butter instead of boiling it in salted water, to get the most of its flavour), added a splash of white wine for extra flavour and luxurious taste.
The rest was as instructed in recipe, came out great!!!
(...Sorry for my bad English, It's not my mother tongue)
MarciaSF
Perfect weeknight meal came together quickly. Followed the great suggestion to cook the asparagus in the pasta water and didn't bother with shocking in cold water. I also mixed some lemon zest with the dill for a 'gremolata' style garnish. Delicious!
Ruth Hanna
Due to dietary preferences, did not make a cream sauce at all, just a shallot- and- dill infused olive oil. Still fabulous. The flavors just marry beautifully, this is a versatile dish. Also blanched the asparagus in the pasta water.
Jack
Skip peeling the stalks and just steam the end pieces of the asparagus for a few minutes before adding the tips.
Andi Reynolds
Very good even with less-than-stellar salmon, dried pasta and dried dill (not a lot of high end groceries available in western Kentucky). Sauce was thinner than expected; adjust simmer time accordingly. Once asparagus is gone, we'll try this with green beans, broccoli and/or peas.
SonomaSMB
Wow, is this great. Assertive flavors require nothing more than listed.
For one serving (husband doesn't eat pasta), I used:
3 oz spinach Chive dried linguini
1/4 lb asparagus
2 oz smoked salmon
2. Tbls shallots, sliced
1/4 cup heavy cream plus pasta water
I added a little lemon zest.
Second time around, I followed advice here and added wine, which is definitely not needed, and I thought detracted from the already great flavor profile. Sometimes, less is more, & I hardly ever say that.
John Duncan
Nice recipe. I added ½ c thin-sliced fennel while sautéing the shallots, then reduced ¼ c white wine in the pan before adding the cream. Worked well.
Maralyn
Actually, I enjoy seeing how others have modified recipes. It broadens my options. In fact, my favorite food writers routinely suggest variations to a given recipe.
Marjorie Och
Delicious and very subtle. Substituted milk for cream and added some chèvre (1/4 cup) for flavor. Served this with a Chablis. Cherries for dessert.
Leigh
Why don't you all write a cook book. I don't care about what hubby thinks or about your additions. Anyone can sprinkle garlic salt and add fennel seeds etc. Respect the recipe and try it out as written before reviewing.
Maura
I was inspired by this recipe, so made fresh spinach fettuccine, sautéed the asparagus till crisp, set aside, then sautéed shallots, garlic and crimini mushrooms to which I added 1/2 C of cream and white wine. Simmered for a bit, add Parmesan, then add back in the asparagus and toss with cooked pasta. Delicious, no salmon needed but you could add that to transform the leftovers for another night.
gail
Add a little lemon zest and white wine to sauce. Could use a different herb instead of dill, perhaps thyme. Could saute asparagus in butter with shallots instead of steaming.
Lisa
Spare yourself a dirty pan and add the asparagus to the pasta for the last 2 minutes of the pasta cooking. In lieu of or in addition to dill, try spring onion and/or parsley.
Skip peeling the stalks and just steam the end pieces of the asparagus for a few minutes before adding the tips.
Mike
Go with olive oil, salt & pepper; leave out the cream. My family has been doing this recipe for years. No leftovers.........
Kristin
So far, NYT Cooking recipes don’t miss. Another simple yet extremely flavorful dish.
Janet
I used this as a base with a few subs not because I didn't think it looked great as is, but because I was missing ingredients. No cream so I used olive oil and butter. I used dried tarragon because I didn't have dill. I skipped the lemon because I didn't have it. And, I cooked the shallots and asparagus in a pan and then added the pasta with a bit of the cooking water. Finally, at the end I added some frozen peas. All in all, really good.
John M
I liked the speed with which this comes together. And it is delicious. I skipped the dill but added plenty of freshly ground black pepper, and grated Parmesan on the top.
A cook from SF
This was so bland. Need to add garlic and maybe some red pepper flakes. Ugh.
Steve
Tasty and easy to put together fast. What more can you ask of a recipe? Made as written, except I took the suggestion of others to add lemon zest at the end. Delicious!
Andy
I use onions instead of shallots if not available. To simplify the process I cook the asparagus by boiling them in the pasta water 3-4 minutes before the pasta is ready.
Trish
Loved this. Simple and flavourful. I added lemon zest, Parmesan and capers. Yum.
Persimmon
This is a splendid recipe and is flexible. I like to add mushrooms and a little marsala. And to those of you who object to readers posting changes to recipes, why read the notes and get upset? Just make the recipe and be happy!
amy f
just no. Too salty with the smoked salmon and the sauce was meh.
John Gray
I love the recipe however, the fettuccine was far too al dente for my taste. Because we live at altitude of 4500 feet I doubled the fettuccine cooking time to 6 minutes. Next time I will add additional two or three minutes and check for doneness.
Sharon
I used left over baked salmon and added crushed red pepper
garlic pasta
Add mushrooms
Sophie
Love this dish, so versatile. I roast the asparagus before adding, which adds some depth of flavor. Also added some white wine after sautéing the shallots.
Kirsten
I doubled the asparagus and salmon to beef it up some and subbed soy plain yogurt for the heavy cream since I can't have dairy. Absolutely delicious!
Lisa
I made this with leftover pan fried salmon instead of smoked and added some red pepper, garlic and cherry tomatoes to the mix. I used dried pasta as fresh fettucine isn't available where I live. The flavor was great but it was a bit dry, next time I will incorporate a bit of pasta cooking water to sauce and see if it improves things.
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