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Make this unique salmon pasta salad ahead and you've got a deliciously nutritious meal worth making more than once!
Cold Salmon Pasta Salad
This pasta salad recipe came together when I made extra salmon baked in foil one night and needed a quick meal the next day. I mean, you can whip it up in just 25 minutes, with minimum cooking time: totally a win!
Bonus: this salad tastes amazing and is healthy, with the perfect combination of carbs, protein, and other nutrient-dense ingredients. What’s not to love about it?
Ingredients
I used penne pasta for this recipe, but any pasta works. For a flavorful salad, use fresh salmon; alternatively, canned salmon is also a good option. For extra flavor and texture, this salad includes red onion, cherry tomatoes, pesto sauce, lemon juice, Parmesan or Romano cheese, and fresh basil shreds.
Using Canned Salmon
If you don’t have fresh salmon, you can use canned salmon. I always recommend boneless, skinless canned salmon. Its taste is slightly different than fresh salmon, but just as nutritious.
How to Make Salmon Pasta Salad
Check out how to make this salmon pasta salad:
- Cook the pasta and transfer it to a large salad bowl.
- Cook the salmon in a large pan, on both sides until the meat flakes off easily. Remove from heat, coarsely chop it into chunks and add them to the bowl with the pasta.
- Combine the salmon and pasta, add the remaining ingredients, and drizzle with pesto and lemon juice. Sprinkle cheese and fresh basil shreds on the salad before serving.
Serving it Warm or Cold
You can enjoy this salad at room temperature with cold pasta and freshly cooked salmon, warm it up a few seconds in the microwave, or store it in the fridge to serve it cold. It’s up to you!
Can You Freeze Salmon Pasta Salad
I would not recommend freezing the salmon pasta salad since the pasta tends to lose its texture and fresh tomatoes don’t freeze well; however, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
What to Serve with Summer Salmon Pasta Salad
Salads usually go with everything as a side dish. So, you can serve this salad with turkey burgers, grilled meat, sausages, chicken kabobs, or grilled sandwiches. It also pairs great with this watermelon pizza for the ultimate refreshing summer meal!
Salmon Pasta Salad for Summer
Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne pasta
- 8 ounces fresh salmon, about 2 fillets
- Salt and pepper, for seasoning
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup pesto, store-bought or homemade
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan or Romano cheese
- Fresh basil shreds, for garnish and optional
Instructions
Cook pasta:
- Cook pasta according to package directions, drain water out and transfer the pasta into a large salad bowl and allow the pasta to cool down completely.
Season salmon:
- Pat dry salmon fillets with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
Cook salmon:
- In a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the salmon to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden/seared on each side and the meat separates easily with a fork. Remove from the pan onto a plate.
Combine:
- Break up the salmon into large pieces and add them to the pasta bowl along with the red onions and cherry tomatoes.
- Add the pesto into the salad bowl, the lemon juice, and toss to combine all ingredients to evenly distribute the pesto throughout. If it’s too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water to stretch the dressing a little.
- Sprinkle parmesan cheese and fresh basil shreds, if using, and toss to combine before serving.
patsy says
Summer is over, but I’m still loving this salmon pasta salad. It’s just so good!
Holly says
This salmon pasta salad came out delicious!!!
Joan says
Such a great pasta salad with salmon. It was delicious.