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A warm weather favorite

This Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad is perfect for warm spring and summer days. Penne pasta, rich smoked salmon, verdant green peas, crisp English cucumber, and bright cherry tomatoes are tossed in a light and creamy dressing enhanced with a splash of Champagne vinegar, garlic-infused olive oil, Dijon mustard, and fresh chives and dill. This pasta salad is lovely served chilled on a warm day as a main course and also works beautifully prepped and chilled a day in advance for an outdoor bbq or gathering as well.

What type of smoked salmon is best to use?

I prefer cold-smoked salmon for this dish because it has a lovely silky texture that I personally prefer in cold dishes like this pasta salad -- This is one of my favorite options. However, one might ask what's the difference between cold-smoked salmon and hot smoked salmon in the first place?

Cold-smoked salmon

This type of salmon is cured in salt brine before smoking between 70 and 90 degrees F. It has a silky texture and is often sliced very thinly, which gives it an almost translucent look. Cold-smoked salmon is great for cold dishes such as pasta salads, on top of cream cheese with bagels, and served in a cold salad like this Smoked Salmon and Citrus Salad with Cucumber and Avocado.

Hot-smoked salmon

This type of salmon is smoked at a higher temperature, usually between 120 and 180 degrees F. It has a flaky texture from being cooked through and the filets are often left intact or served in chunks rather than thinly sliced. Hot-smoked salmon is great for warm dishes such as warm pastas, risotto, chowders, and frittatas.

What kind of pasta is best to use?

I prefer a hearty tube pasta for this Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad as I love to be able to spear a bite of the smoked salmon and cucumber at the same time, so my go-to pasta shapes are penne, rigatoni, or ziti. However, this pasta salad recipe is equally fantastic with a short pasta shape such as farfalle (bow-tie), fusilli (corkscrew), or cavatappi (double-elbow), or smaller pasta that holds on to the sauce and peas well such as orecchiette or conchiglie (shells). If you are gluten-free, this dish can easily be made with a gluten-free pasta of your choosing — this is one of my favorite gluten-free penne options.

What tools do I need to make this recipe?

A cutting board
A chef’s knife
A kitchen scale (or measuring cups for less precise measurements)
Measuring spoons
A large pot or Dutch oven
A wooden spoon - OR - silicone pasta spoon
A colander
A large bowl (to toss the pasta salad in)
A medium mixing bowl
A citrus zester
A citrus juicer (optional, but nice to have)
A silicone spatula

Are you looking to upgrade to your cooking tools or replenish your pantry? Check out my kitchen tools shop page and pantry staples shop page to find my must-have kitchen tools, pantry items, and other Whip & Wander favorites.

LOOKING FOR MORE DINNER INSPIRATION?

Love this Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad recipe? Here are some additional dishes that you might enjoy!

A NOTE FOR SPECIAL DIETS

This Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad can be made friendly for gluten-free diets by utilizing a gluten-free pasta — This corn and rice penne is one of my favorite options.

Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad

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Author: Whip & Wander
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 8 servings 1x
Category: Mains
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Ingredients

Scale

12 oz penne pasta (or your preferred pasta, gluten-free if needed)
8 oz cold-smoked salmon, chopped
218 g (about 1 ½ cups) frozen green peas
212 g (about 1 ½ cups) English cucumber, sliced into thin coins
200 g (about 1 cup) cherry tomatoes, halved

For the dressing:

125 g (about ½ cup) Greek yogurt
112 g (about ½ cup) mayo
2 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil - OR - olive oil + 2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp Champagne vinegar (may sub for white wine vinegar)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice + zest of one lemon
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1 tsp Kosher salt
Cracked black pepper, to taste

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Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium-high heat with a generous pinch of salt. Cook pasta to al dente, according to package directions (generally about 10 minutes). In the last minute of cooking, add the frozen peas directly to the pot with the boiling pasta to defrost. Once the pasta is cooked through and the peas are no longer frozen, drain the pasta in a colander and give it a good rinse under cold water to remove excess starch and help cool the pasta down quicker. Reserve drained pasta and peas to the side.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, mayo, garlic-infused olive oil (or olive oil + minced garlic cloves), Champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and zest, chives, dill, Kosher salt, and a few cracks of black pepper to taste with a silicone spatula until well-combined.
Transfer the cooled pasta and peas to a large bowl and top with the dressing, scraping the bowl with the silicone spatula to empty. Gently toss the dressing with the pasta and peas until well-combined.
Add the smoked salmon, cucumber, and tomatoes to the bowl and gently toss to combine. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust if needed. Serve immediately or, if preferred, this dish does well prepped up to one day in advance and stored in an air-tight container in the fridge to chill until ready to use.

Notes

Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 362
Sugar: 5 g
Sodium: 640 mg
Fat: 17 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Carbohydrates: 38 g
Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 14 g
Cholesterol: 21 mg

Keywords: smoked salmon, cucumber, peas, pasta, pasta salad, greek yogurt