This Cajun salmon pasta is an easy and delicious recipe that you will want to eat on repeat!
You will never need to eat bland tasting salmon again if you follow this Cajun salmon pasta recipe.
The spinach and red bell peppers in the recipe ensure you’re getting a few of your five a day and they also add another level of flavour to the dish.
Place the pasta on each plate with the salmon and sauce on top.
About this Cajun salmon pasta recipe
I love salmon but I enjoy it a lot more when it’s spiced up a bit! I decided to fry the salmon steaks in my Cajun seasoning for this recipe and this goes amazingly well with the creamy, cheesy sauce.
You could make the recipe without using the Cajun rub as the sauce on its own has lots of flavour but I think you’ll like the Cajun option.
Do you have to use salmon for this recipe?
Salmon works perfectly in this recipe but there is no reason why you can’t use any other meaty fish. Cod, haddock, halibut… They would all taste amazing with this pasta and sauce.
But then… It wouldn’t be Cajun salmon pasta of course.
Don’t the spices burn when fried?
They will a bit. Many recipe stay away from frying meat or fish coated in spices as they can burn a bit when grilled or fried.
With this recipe it’s ok. It adds to the flavour. Blackened salmon like many blackened Cajun recipes is one of the things that makes it so good.
Can I make Cajun salmon pasta ahead of time?
You can definitely cook the pasta a few hours before you serve the meal. If doing this, be sure to rinse it after you cook it to remove any excess starch. This will help ensure it doesn’t stick together. Then mix it with a little olive oil and place covered in your fridge until needed.
You can also prepare the sauce a good day or so before serving. Store it covered in the fridge and then heat it up over a medium heat. Once hot, stir in the pasta to heat through.
Can you cook the salmon in an air fryer?
Yes, you definitely could if that is your preferred method of cooking. No need to fry the salmon when it cooks to perfection in an air fryer. I often air fry Cajun salmon with this Cajun salmon pasta recipe.
Check out my recipe for air fryer Cajun salmon here.
Does it matter what shape/type of pasta I use?
This really doesn’t matter too much. Small shaped pasta would work best to go with the whole salmon pieces and the sauce.
I have made this Cajun salmon pasta recipe with many different shapes of pasta and never had any complaints.
Pro Tips
- Test the pasta as it cooks: I prefer mine a little al dente but make sure you cook it to your liking. Use the cooking instructions on the packaging as a guide only!
- Coat the pasta with olive oil: Once you have cooked the pasta pour a little olive oil on it and stir it in. This stops it sticking together while you prepare the salmon and sauce.
- Add new colours: I think red bell pepper looks nice in this as it contrasts nicely with the green spinach. That said, feel free to use whatever veggies are in season and keep it colourful.
Step by step photographs …
Layout all of your ingredients to save time when putting the dish together.
Wet the salmon steaks with olive oil and rub the Cajun spice well into each salmon steak.
Fry the salmon steaks in the Cajun rub until blackened and cooked through to your liking. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
Gently melt the butter over a medium-high heat.
Stir in the red pepper and garlic in the butter. Sauté until soft and be careful not to burn the garlic.
Add the spinach to the pan and toss it around in the butter to wilt some.
It should look like this.
Pour the chicken stock into the pan and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Pour in the double cream and stir well to combine.
Then add the Parmesan cheese and stir rapidly to melt it into the sauce. The sauce will still be quite liquidly but that will change when you add the pasta.
Scatter the chopped parsley into the pan and leave some to garnish.
Add the dried chilli flakes to your cream sauce and season with salt to taste.
Stir your cooked pasta into the sauce and divide between four plates. Top with the salmon fillets.
You will find many spicy and delicious recipes on my blog. Here are some you’ve got to try!
- Curry house style base sauce – Make a curry just like those at the best curry houses using this sauce.
- Lamb Bhuna from Scratch – This one is from my book ‘The Curry Guy One Pot’
- One Pot Chicken Dhansak – from my book ‘The Curry Guy One Pot
- Asian Honey Glazed Baked Salmon
- Sri Lankan Black Chicken Curry
- Peruvian Chicken – Pollo a la Brasa
- Korean Braised Beef Stew
- Dal Makhani – An Indian restaurant favourite!
- Tonkotsu Broth – When only the best will do. This one takes some time but it is just like you find at the best ramen restaurants!
- Tonkotsu Ramen – Use that homemade tonkotsu broth in this ramen!
- The Best Butter Chicken – Try it and you’ll agree.
- Authentic Saag Recipe – This is so good
- Thai Beef Green Curry – Authentic recipe with homemade curry paste
- Air Fryer Chicken Biryani
- Cajun Mac and Cheese – The creamiest mac on the planet!
- One Pot Chicken Vindaloo
- Chicken 65 – One of my favourites. You might also like to try this air fryer chicken 65.
- One Pot Chicken Chilli Garlic Curry
- Homemade Sriracha Sauce – So much better than any sriracha you can purchase!
- Tandoori Chicken Tikka – Homemade is alway best and this recipe gets restaurant quality results.
Have you tried this air fryer Cajun salmon recipe?
If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I’m sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.
If you are not already doing so, please follow The Curry Guy on Instagram and Facebook for all our latest recipes.
Cajun Salmon Pasta
Spice up your salmon pasta with this delicious Cajun recipe. Creamy, cheesy sauce with a kick of Cajun seasoning.
Ingredients
- 500g dried pasta of choice, cooked as package instructions
- 4 x 200g salmon steaks
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Juice of one lemon
- 1 cup/250 g Cajun seasoning
- 2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 medium sized red bell pepper chopped
- 2 cups/ 500g fresh spinach
- 250 ml chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups/ 350 ml double/heavy cream
- 1/2 cup/125 g parmasan cheese
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp dried chilli flakes
Instructions
- Cook your pasta as the instructions on the packaging. Strain and set aside.
- Rub one tablespoon of oilive oil and the lemon juice into the salmon steaks. Then rub the Cajun seasoning all over them. Set aside.
- Place a pan over a medium-high heat and add two tablespoons rapeseed (canola) oil. Fry the salmon steaks for about 4 minutes per side. If you like your salmon pink on the interior, watch it closely as it cooks and transfer to a plate when cooked to your preferred doneness. Keep warm under a piece of foil.
- Make the sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the chopped garlic and chopped bell pepper and fry for about 3 minutes or until tender. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
- Next add the spinach and toss it around in the pan for a minute or so before adding the chicken stock. bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the cream and Parmesan cheese and whisk it smooth. Then stir the pasta and when hot, season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide the pasta and sauce between four serving plates. Top each with a salmon steak.
- Garnish with the parley and chilli flakes to serve.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
