Are you searching for an easy and delicious dinner option? Look no further than shrimp and salmon pasta! This dish is packed with protein and healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Plus, you’ll only need a handful of ingredients to make this simple dinner recipe.
This is a great dinner for active women, as it provides adequate carbohydrates to fuel workouts, fats for satiation and joint support, and protein to support muscle repair and recovery. It clocks in around 620 calories per serving – but if you need more or less than that, feel free to adjust your portion sizes accordingly.
Get your pots and pans ready, and let’s get cooking!
Ingredients
Here’s a photo of everything you’ll need to make this recipe, along with selected ingredient notes.
- Fettucine – I love the thicker noodles for this recipe, but you can easily substitute spaghetti or angel hair pasta if you’d prefer.
- Salmon – While I use canned salmon in a lot of recipes (like my canned salmon pesto pasta or cheesy salmon dip) – I do recommend fresh salmon for this recipe if you can swing it. There’s just something about that rich, fresh-cooked filet that’s delectable on this pasta.
- Neufchâtel cheese – This is otherwise known as “light” cream cheese. It has a similar taste and texture to regular cream cheese, but with less fat and calories. This dish is already rich, so don’t worry about missing out on anything by using this.
- Shrimp – You can use frozen shrimp, or “fresh” shrimp from the seafood counter. I put fresh in parentheses, because most of the time, that fresh shrimp was actually frozen then defrosted for the counter selection. As such, I generally just buy frozen shrimp right off the bat and thaw it when I’m ready to use it.
Step by Step Instructions
You’ll find full recipe instructions and amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here’s a helpful overview with photos.
Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Add the fettucine and cook according to package directions. When it’s done, strain the pasta in a colander and set aside for now. Leave the pot you used set aside as well.
While the pasta is cooking, heat up the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper, then add the salmon filet to the pan skin side down.
Cook for about 4 minutes, then flip and cook for another few minutes. You may need to add a few extra minutes for a thick filet. The salmon is done when it flakes easily when you press down with a fork.
Use a spatula to the remove the salmon and set it aside on a plate for now.
In the same skillet, add a little more butter. Season the shrimp with Cajun seasoning, then add them to the pan.
Cook for about 3-4 minutes total, flipping halfway through. When the shrimp are done, set aside on the plate with the salmon.
In the empty pot leftover from cooking the pasta, add the milk, cream cheese, and a little salt and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat, until thick and creamy, then add the spinach in and cook for a few minutes until wilted.
Stir in the parmesan and stir continuously until it’s well mixed into the sauce. Remove from heat and toss the pasta with the hot sauce.
Last step is to portion everything out and add the shrimp and salmon on top. Yum!
Recipe FAQ
Here are some common questions that may come up as you prepare this recipe:
From a cooking standpoint, both work equally well. From a nutrition standpoint, wild salmon tends to be a bit lower in calories and saturated fat, so it’s a great choice if you have access to it. According to Cleveland Clinic, wild salmon may have fewer pollutants compared to farmed salmon, but does tend to be pricier. Farmed salmon can be a good cost-effective alternative that tends to be widely available. Use whatever fits your budget and dietary preferences.
Thaw overnight in the fridge, or thaw in a bowl of cool water.
Nope! You can use whatever size you have on hand or prefer buying. I generally use extra large shrimp. Keep in mind small shrimp will cook more quickly than larger shrimp.
Store leftovers in the fridge and enjoy within 2 to 3 days.
More Seafood Recipes
Looking for more tasty seafood dinner ideas? Try one of these delicious dishes:
- Jerk shrimp salad
- Air fryer salmon patties
- Steak and shrimp stir fry
- Shrimp egg roll in a bowl
- Savory tuna waffles
- Monkfish curry
- Tuna potato salad
I hope you enjoy this shrimp and salmon pasta as much as my family did! If you get a chance to try it, feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Shrimp and Salmon Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dry fettuccine
- 1 tablespoon butter divided
- ⅔ pound salmon filet
- ¼ teaspoon salt divided
- ¼ teaspoon pepper divided
- ¾ pound shrimp peeled and deveined
- ¼ teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 4 ounces Neufchâtel cheese (also called lite cream cheese)
- 1 cup 1% milk
- 5 cups raw spinach
- ⅔ cup grated parmesan cheese (plus any additional for topping)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the fettuccine, cooking pasta according to package directions (usually around 9 to 12 minutes). When done cooking, pour into a colander to drain the water, and set aside for now. Keep the pot you used set aside as well.
- Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add ½ tablespoon of butter. Season the salmon with ⅛ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Place the salmon skin side down in the pan and cook for 4 minutes, then flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through.* Set aside on a plate.
- Add the other ½ tablespoon of butter to the same skillet. Season the shrimp with the Cajun seasoning, then add the shrimp to the pan. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, flipping halfway, until shrimp are cooked through (they should be opaque and pink). Remove and set aside.
- In the empty pot that you previously used to cook the pasta, add the Neufchâtel cheese, milk, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper to the pot. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until creamy and well combined, about 3 minutes (do not boil).
- Add the spinach to the pot with the sauce and cook for another 2 minutes, until the spinach is lightly wilted. Add the parmesan, continuously stirring, until it is mixed into the sauce, then immediately remove from heat.
- Toss the cream sauce with the pasta. Portion out the salmon and shrimp and serve on top of the pasta. Add any additional parmesan as desired.
Notes
- *Cooking time may need to be extended for thick filets. Salmon is done when it flakes easily when pressed with a fork.
- Feel free to adjust salt and pepper to your seasoning preferences.
- If using regular cream cheese instead of Neufchâtel, use 3 ounces instead of 4 ounces as originally called for.
Nutrition
Share: What’s your favorite way to use shrimp or salmon? If you tried this recipe, what did you think?
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Not flavorful or healthy
Hi Nicole! I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this recipe, and that you’re upset it doesn’t meet your definition of healthy. Of course, if you prefer a particular dietary pattern, you can certainly choose other recipes that fit whatever those preferences are. Happy eating!