Creamy Seafood Pasta
This creamy seafood pasta is a delicious combination of sauteed vegetables. shrimp, and lightly seasoned salmon served in a flavorful cream sauce over pasta. We love this dish for special occasions, but it's also quick enough for a weeknight meal.
Ingredients
For Cream Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- ½ cup finely diced yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup diced fresh tomato about 1 Roma
- 1 ¼ teaspoon chicken bouillon see note
- ⅛ teaspoon chipotle powder optional
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
For Seafood:
- 6 ounces skinless salmon fillet fresh or frozen
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- garlic salt to taste
- chipotle powder to taste
- ¾ pound raw shrimp peeled and deveined, see note
For Vegetables;
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- ½ pound zucchini 1 small/medium squash
- ½ pound yellow squash 1 small/medium squash
- ½ teaspoon salt
For Serving:
- 1 pound hot cooked bow ties or other pasta see note
- salt and pepper to taste
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
For Cream Sauce:
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In a medium saucepan over medium heat add canola oil and heat until sizzling. Add finely diced onions and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until softened
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Add 2 cloves garlic and cook for a minute or until aromatic. Add diced tomatoes, chicken bouillon, chipotle, black pepper, and cream and stir well. Heat to a bubble.
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Whisk milk and cornstarch together in a small bowl and then add to simmering sauce. Stir and heat until thickened. Stir in fresh Parmesan cheese. Turn down temperature to low and continue heating at a low simmer.
For Seafood:
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While sauce is cooking, thoroughly dry salmon with paper towels and then lightly season with garlic salt and cajun seasoning.
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Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a medium dutch oven or cast iron skillet with a lid over medium high heat. When oil sizzles, add seasoned salmon and cover pot with lid.
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Cook salmon for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until salmon starts to flake, is golden brown and crispy on the outside. Remove salmon to a plate and set aside.
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Add shrimp to the dutch oven on medium high and cover pan. Cook shrimp for 4 to 5 minutes, tossing every few minutes until shrimp is pink and cooked through. Remove from pan and drain shrimp, reserving the liquid. Add the reserved liquid to the cream sauce and set aside cooked shrimp on plate with the salmon.
For Vegetables:
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Add a tablespoon of oil to the dutch oven (still over medium high heat). When oil is hot, add cut up zucchini and yellow squash and cook for 3 to 5 minutes uncovered.
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Turn the squash a few times so that they are lightly blackened and squash is barely tender with a fork (it will continue to cook after you take it off the heat). After the first time turning add ½ teaspoon salt to the squash and stir well. When squash is finished cooking, remove from pan and put it on a plate to set it aside.
For Serving:
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Cut up salmon into 1 to 2-inch pieces for serving. Combine the seafood and veggies in cream sauce and reheat until warm (if needed). Serve creamy seafood sauce over hot pasta.
Recipe Notes
1. I use this homemade chicken bouillon for this recipe.
2. We've made this recipe with asparagus and it is good that way also.
3. Fresh seafood is the best. But the frozen farm-raised vacuum-packed Atlantic skinless salmon fillets from Costco too. We usually buy raw shrimp, peeled & deveined (fresh or frozen, tail on or off). I usually buy the larger shrimp (31 to 40 shrimp per pound) from Costco, but you can use the smaller shrimp too, just keep in mind that they will cook quicker.
4. We usually prefer bowties (farfalle), fettuccine or another flat pasta, but you can use any kind you prefer.
5. Note that for the photos I kept the veggies and seafood separate (because it looks a lot prettier), but we usually serve everything combined as described in the recipe.