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When asked how to make delicious food in a hurry, the late Julia Child said, “Double the sugar and add bacon to everything!”
Well then, if that isn’t a prescription to cure just about all ills! How I miss Julia and her inimitable style. Her lack of a verbal filter treated us all to some wonderful quotes!
So it was my good fortune to find a charming cooking blog called Double the Sugar. (By the way, that’s an act — doubling the sugar — my son wishes I would do more often.) Actually, I was assigned this blog as part of Secret Recipe Club, in which participants secretly explore and cook from another’s food blog. Today is our “reveal day,” where we ‘fess up and share the results of our experimentation.
It is written by Shannon, from Seattle, and Lucy, from across the Pond in Scotland, both enthusiastic home cooks with a weakness for carbs and sugars. (Well, now, that last bit pretty much describes many foodies I know!)
Temptresses both, they beckon me with blog pages on Millionaire’s Shortbread bars with caramel and chocolate, famous Crack Pie from Momofuku Milk Bar, and their inventive Wine Truffles (red wine and chocolate together? Oh heck yes!).
Smoked Salmon Spaghetti from Double the Sugar
But more than sugar, I adore smoked salmon, so I was drawn to Lucy’s recipe for Smoked Salmon Spaghetti. Creamy, lemony and dilly, this dish whispered my name. And if a dish is calling my name, I want it to call me for dinner; this one did just that.
I made just a few tweaks to suit myself — shaped pasta instead of spaghetti, a Meyer lemon instead of an ordinary lemon, olive oil to sauté the onion, a sprinkle of capers on top, etc.).
Thanks, Lucy, for this swoon-worthy dinner! And the rest of you reading this, I want you to go write “smoked salmon” on your shopping list and see for yourself.
Recipe: Lemony Pasta with Smoked Salmon and Dill
Summary: Pasta with a creamy, lemony sauce is sparked by fresh dill and smoked salmon. It makes a lovely, relatively fast dinner or lunch. You simply make the sauce while the pasta is cooking.
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound pasta (use your favorite shape)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 (7.5-ounce) container Bellwether Farms crème fraiche
- 1 Meyer lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 bunch fresh dill, stems removed and chopped ( a few sprigs saved for garnish)
- 1/2 pound smoked salmon, chopped (I used hot smoked salmon but you can easily use lox trimmings)
- Brined capers, drained
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in large skillet. Sauté onion on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes until softened and just slightly browned. Remove pan from heat and add crème fraiche, lemon zest and juice and half of the dill. Stir to blend well. Taste and add a pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper.
- When pasta is done, drain it well and stir it into the crème fraiche mixture, making sure the pasta is well coated. Add salmon and stir to combine. (Alternatively, you may wish to sprinkle the salmon on top after you plate the pasta.)
- Serve, garnishing with the rest of the dill and a sprinkling of capers.
- Serves 4-6.
Quick notes
I like to use a curlicue-shaped pasta for a dish like this because the shape holds the creamy, lemony sauce. I also think the smaller size of the pasta balances better with the chopped salmon and onion pieces. Suite yourself, though, as to pasta shape used. The “Double the Sugar” ladies call for spaghetti; use what you like or what you have!
Source
Adapted from Smoked Salmon Spaghetti at Double the Sugar.
Preparation time: 8 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Number of servings (yield): 4-6
Culinary tradition: USA (Nouveau)
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At ShockD, you’ll find scrumptious, tried & true, "scary good" recipes, tips and coaching to make YOU a fabulous home cook! Don't blame me if you need a 12-step program to wean yourself away!
E-mail me: Dorothy.Reinhold@gmail.com
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Made this with spaghetti and Boursin cheese. Delicious!
Paulette,
The Boursin is a brilliant idea! Now I must try it that way, too!
def sounds like an interesting recipe. cool
Love this recipe, and Julia’s advice! Thanks for linking up to my blog hop! Pinned 🙂
Meyer lemons! Crème fraiche! Capers! You are really sending me to new sections of the grocery store with this one, Dorothy. And a perfect dish for Lent, as well.
I love smoked salmon in pasta! I’ll definitely have to try this! 🙂
This dish sounds so refreshing with a lemon sauce, definitely attention grabbing. Looks delicious.
lox trimmings….can I say genius!! I have never thought of it, but of course, you thought of it for me! Thank you.
That pasta looks delicious
Oh My Goodness! That looks just divine. All my favorites in one dish. I can’t wait to try this one. Thanks for sharing!
I <3 smoked salmon and dill but hubby is the polar opposite. *sigh* I guess that means more for me, right?
I love the bright salmon and colors of the dish. It looks beautiful! I bet it tastes great too!
Erin,
It is as tasty as it is pretty!
Dorothy this looks amazing – I will have to try it with capers! I almost didn’t recognise this as one of our recipes, you make it sound so fantastic! Thanks so much for your kind words about the blog, I am looking forward to looking at your blog too.
Lucy,
We happily ate this 2 dinners in a row! I loved the capers on it, because they go well with smoked salmon. It was very fun to explore your blog and find the gems!
Your pasta dish looks and sounds amazing, great SRC choice.
Lisa~~
Cook Lisa Cook
Wonderful selection for this month’s SRC! Printing it now since I love every single ingredient! Now following you too!
I am not a big fan of salmon or dill, but this pasta looks so amazing that I would eat it!! Great job! 🙂
Looks fabulous! Like Sarah E. I would opt for tuna as I am not a big fan of smoked salmon. The pics are mouthwatering!
This sounds amazing.
Home Cook,
Oh yes, it IS!
On a recent trip from my hmonlaed in Australia to Ireland I also fell in love with Irish smoked salmon . I don’t like the Australian product I feel it is too oily and fishy in flavour, but the Irish smoked salmon was to die for! Light and not at all oily with a beautiful delicate flavour. Far superior to our one, in my opinion.
Yum! I wonder if you could use tuna instead of salmon? I’m not a big salmon fan. Double the Sugar is a great blog – I made the banana custard pie for November’s SRC…it was so hard to pick just one recipe! 🙂
Sarah,
Sure, you can use tuna. You might need to adjust the salt upwards, since smoked salmon is salty and contributes that to the dish, as well as its smoky flavor.
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