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This delicious Hot Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad is the perfect addition to your meal rotation. It features garlicky, blistered tomatoes in their juices, shredded hot smoked salmon, and red onion. Top it off with a fresh and zesty lemon and dill vinaigrette.
This flavorful pasta salad is a family favorite and so easy to make ahead. The best part is you can enjoy it hot or cold. It actually gets better the longer all the flavors can marinate.
Pair it with my easy focaccia and serve it for lunch, dinner, or the next time you are feeding a crowd.
Hot Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Hot smoked salmon: I buy the plain kind, but you can substitute it with the pepper or garlic flavored hot smoked salmon.
- Pasta: I recommend a pasta shape that will soak up the flavors. I use Tubetti, but you can use any small pasta shape you have on hand.
- Grape tomatoes: I use a small-sized tomato for this recipe. Grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or pear tomatoes will all work.
- Balsamic glaze, olive oil, and garlic: Add these to the tomatoes before roasting to enhance their natural sweetness.
- Red onion: I dice the onion finely so the taste isn’t too dominant.
- Fresh dill, olive oil, maple syrup, lemon juice, and white wine vinegar: Combine to create a sweet and sour dressing that complements the salty salmon and sweet roasted tomatoes.
How to Make Hot Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad
- Prepare the ingredients. Bake the tomatoes, cook the pasta, and mix the ingredients for the vinaigrette.
- Assemble the salad. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and pour the dressing on top.
- Serve. Arrange the pasta salad on a platter. Sprinkle with fresh dill.
Tips for Success
- Cook the pasta for 1-2 minutes longer than al dente, so it will have a soft bite if you want to serve the salad cold as well.
- Be sure to add the juices from the roasted tomatoes to the pasta salad!
Possible Variations
- Pasta: The tubetti pasta is excellent to use for pasta salads, as it soaks up all the ingredients. Macaroni, Orecchiette, Conchiglie, and orzo (among others) are other great options.
- Hot smoked salmon: Swap for tinned tuna or shredded chicken.
- Grape tomatoes: If you want to save time, skip the roasting and serve the tomatoes raw.
- Red onion: Soak your red onion in cold water for 15-20 minutes for a less pungent flavor. You can also use shallots or white onions, or omit onions altogether.
- Dill: Substitute with other fresh herbs, such as basil, green onions, coriander, or parsley.
Best served with
FAQs
Store in a glass storage container and enjoy within 1-2 days.
Yes! Reheat on the stove with a tablespoon of butter or olive oil. Fry for 5-10 minutes on low-medium heat.
Recipe Tip
Cook your pasta for 1-2 minutes extra to ensure it has the right bite, especially if serving it cold.
Other Pasta Dishes
Hot Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
Pasta salad
- 500 grams pasta, (I used tubetti)
- 450 grams hot smoked salmon, shredded
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 450 grams grape tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze, or balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Dill vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup olive oil, extra virgin (5 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon honey, or maple syrup
- 1/2 lemon, juice
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- sea salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (338°F).
- Halve the tomatoes and place them in a baking dish.
- Top with the minced garlic, balsamic glaze, sea salt, and pepper.
- Mix everything around with a spoon.
- Bake the tomatoes for 15 minutes.
- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
- In a large bowl, mix the cooled pasta with shredded hot smoked salmon, chopped red onion, and the blistered tomatoes in their juices.
- Mix the ingredients for the dressing.
- Pour the dressing onto the pasta and mix again.
- Arrange onto a platter, top with fresh dill, and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
