Pasta with smoked salmon & zucchini recipe.

This creamy and flavourful farfalle (bow-tie) pasta with smoked salmon is a super easy to make yet elegant Italian dish. It pairs pretty farfalle pasta with a creamy sauce of zucchini, smoked salmon, ginger and orange zest. Perfect for special occasions like Mother's Day or even just for a light lunch or date night dinner.

I love the combination of farfalle pasta with smoked salmon, don’t you? Here in Italy, although there are many other recipes for farfalle, when it comes to using salmon, (smoked or fresh) this is one of the most commonly used pasta shapes. Penne is another.

A little farfalle pasta history.

Also known outside of Italy as bow-tie pasta, farfalle is actually one of the oldest types of egg pasta. According to food historians, this pretty butterfly shaped pasta was invented during the 16^th century in Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna.

In the latter region, they also call this pasta ‘strichetti’. It seems that in Emilia, housewives invented strichetti (today’s farfalle) as a way to use up the pasta dough they had left over after making filled cappelletti.

Apparently, once the filling for the cappelletti had run out, the women of the region used the remaining dough to make farfalle. This pasta became so popular that they would actually make sure they had extra dough so, there would be enough to make farfalle too!

Sometimes, we also make farfalle (bow-tie) pasta alongside other types of homemade fresh egg pasta with the same dough. I have used the dough from lasagne sheets or fazzoletti or even ravioli, although I usually end up with extra filling instead of dough.

Smoked salmon in Italy

Smoked salmon is not a traditional Italian product. But, it has grown in popularity, particularly since the 80s. In fact, nowadays, there are quite a number of companies smoking salmon here. However, the salmon itself usually comes from Scotland or Norway. 

Italians don’t often serve or eat smoked salmon on bread as is popular in other countries. They prefer to eat it as an antipasto (starter) , in salads, in frittata or in savoury tarts or quiches. However, the most popular way is with pasta like in this farfalle pasta with smoked salmon recipe.

The other thing Italians don't traditionally do is combine cream and fish. But, this recipe, like many others, originated in the 80s when cream was fashionable on everything. In fact, pasta recipes such as pasta alla vodka and penne al baffo are from the same era when cream with tomatoes was also in vogue.

This farfalle with smoked salmon recipe.

When researching farfalle pasta with smoked salmon on Italian recipe and cooking sites, I came across many many recipes. Most include cream and some kind of spirit such as vodka or cognac, others were with tomato sauce and many are made with the addition of vegetables, mostly zucchini or peas.

I decided on this recipe which has zucchini, cream and smoked salmon but with the addition of grated fresh ginger. I also added some orange zest which I have to say really made the dish extra special. I’m sure if you try it, you will agree with me.

Ingredients for pasta with smoked salmon.

Pasta: Farfalle (bow-tie) pasta is a very popular choice for smoked salmon pasta in Italy. I used pasta from Pastificio Liguori, pasta makers from Gragnano, Naples. Of course, you can use other pasta shapes. Penne is a good choice as is fine tagliolini or tagliatelle. You could even make homemade tagliatelle.

Smoked salmon: I used cold-smoked salmon for this recipe. And, that’s what I usually use whether in pasta recipes or other dishes. Most smoked salmon here in Italy is cold smoked salmon. However, you can also use hot smoked salmon.

Zucchini: Choose young, smaller fresh dark green zucchini that have smooth and shiny skins. These are sweeter than older, large zucchini can be bitter. Alternatively fresh asparagus or peas would make a great substitute for the zucchini.

Garlic: Peel and crush the garlic cloves but don't chop them because they are removed before adding cream to the sauce. You want a slight garlicky flavor but not overpowering as the other ingredients are light with a delicate texture and taste.

Heavy cream: Here in Italy we have a long life heavy cream called panna da cucina. I used this because thick fresh cream is difficult to find. The cream is what makes the sauce rich and rather luxurious. However, for a lighter version use half-and-half or single cream, although the cream sauce will be less rich and more liquid.

Ginger and orange zest: Just a little of each grated into the cream gives this dish a unique flavor. Use fresh ginger not dried and oranges with an edible peel.

Optional ingredients: You could also use lemon zest instead of orange. In addition, for an optional fresh herby flavor use some fresh dill, fresh basil or fresh parsley. However, dried herbs would not work

Step by step instructions.

1) Prepare your ingredients. Wash the zucchini and cut them into small cubes. Peel and crush the garlic. Grate the orange zest and ginger.

2) In a bowl, add the ginger, orange zest and freshly ground black pepper to the cream. Mix well.

3) Sauté the garlic and zucchini in olive oil in a large skillet over a medium heat until the garlic is soft and slightly brown and the zucchini is soft and slightly brown too. The skillet needs to be large enough to hold the cooked pasta too.

4) Remove the garlic and add the cut smoked salmon to the skillet and cook for a few minutes over a medium-low heat.

5) Add the cream mixture to the salmon and zucchini.

6) Mix the cream and other ingredients together well and cook for a couple of minutes.

7) Cook your farfalle pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet, save a cup of the pasta water, then drain and add the drained pasta to the sauce. Mix everything together carefully. You can add a little pasta water if the sauce seems dry. Serve immediately and enjoy!

What to do with leftovers.

This pasta with smoked salmon is best when you eat it immediately. But, you can keep leftovers sealed in the fridge in an airtight container for a couple of days. Reheat in the microwave with a little added milk or cream.

Let me know what you think.

If you make this creamy smoked salmon pasta recipe, I’d love to hear your opinion of it. I think this is a great dish for any special occasion, if you feel the same, please do leave a comment below or write something on The Pasta Project Facebook page.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Buon Appetito!

More recipes on the Pasta Project.

1. Creamy lemon salmon pasta
2. Farfalle with sausage and radicchio
3. Shrimp and asparagus farfalle
4. Pasta with prawns and orange
5. Creamy smoked salmon pasta

This recipe was orginally published in 2017 but has been updated with new photos and text.

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If you are interested in learning how to make homemade pasta and different types of gnocchi, check out my shop page for some great video online courses from my friends in Rome! Nothing beats learning to make pasta from Italians! Plus while you’re there why not order a copy of one of my pasta recipes cookbook!?