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Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad

Simple pasta salad with smoked salmon, orange bell peppers, celery, green onions, lemon juice, and mayonnaise.

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

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Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad
Elise Bauer

One of the challenges of the holidays is keeping everyone fed when the family comes to town.

We're always looking for dishes that can feed lots of people well, without a lot of hassle, and that are relatively easy to store. Better yet if it can use up holiday feasting leftovers.

Here is a simple smoked salmon pasta salad that used up the last of some smoked salmon we had for a gathering.

I take no credit for the idea; I shamelessly reproduced the recipe from a lovely pasta salad I had at a friend's house the other day.

It must be my dad's midwestern roots taking hold in me. Of all the beautiful dishes at the table, including roast goose and prime rib, the one I kept going back to for seconds was this pasta dish brought by Peg's friend Jackie.

So simple, but so good!

The little bits of smoked salmon do pretty much all the heavy lifting as far as flavor goes. There's just enough mayo so the salmon sticks to the pasta. The celery and bell pepper provide color, coolness, and crunch.

Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 25 mins
Servings 8 servings
This recipe can easily be halved or doubled. While the pasta water is heating, prep the other ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of dry penne rigati, gemelli, fusilli, or other short-cut pasta, or a combination
  • Salt for the pasta water
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 4 ounce smoked salmon, shredded
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped orange or yellow bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onions (scallions)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Pinch of dried dill
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method

  1. Cook the pasta:

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (use a tablespoon of salt for every 2 quarts of water). Add the pasta. Cook uncovered, at a rolling boil until al dente, or tender, but still a bit firm.

    Drain and rinse under cold water. (If you are making the pasta ahead of time, stir in a little olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking to each other.)

    Note that if you are using different kinds of pasta, you may want to cook them separately as different types of pasta cook at different rates.

  2. Stir in the rest of the ingredients:

    adjusting the amounts of mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

    Serve chilled or at room temperature.