Capellini With Salmon and Lemon-Dill-Vodka Sauce

Submitted by ellie_

"I thought this recipe looked interesting for a special weeknight supper and a great way to use up leftover salmon. Recipe source: Gourmet (June 2005)"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 15mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1⁄3 cup vodka
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup dill, chopped
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons lemon zest, grated
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups salmon, broiled and flaked
• 10 ounces capellini (angel hair pasta)

directions

1. In a large saucepan cook onion in the oil over medium heat until soft (5-8 minutes).
2. Add broth, cream, vodka and salt and bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until sauce is reduced to 2 cups (45-60 minutes).
3. Remove from heat and stir in dill, lemon zest and juice and pepper. Reserve 1/2 cup sauce.
4. Add salmon to saucepan and cook over medium low heat until fish is heated through (2-4 minutes).
5. Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions.
6. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta.
7. Return pasta to pot and toss with reserved sauce.
8. Put pasta in large bowl and spoon fish and sauce over top; toss before serving.

Reviews

[Starrynews]

Wonderful dish for salmon! I sauteed the salmon in a bit of olive oil with a dash of lemon juice and a sprinkle of dill and pepper while preparing the rest of the dish as directed. It was really good, with a lovely presentation! Thanks for sharing! ZWT6

 

[Tarteausucre]

The sauce was more of a broth for us, was ok. Just wasn't something that I loved. Thank you for posting. Made for ZWT 6.

 

[evelynathens]

This sauce was much lighter than ordinary cream-based sauces, and I liked the fact that it was thinner as I found it coated the capellini well, but left it 'wet' enough for easy eating and slurping. I had made extra salmon yesterday just to try this recipe and it's a winner! Everything worked so well together flavour-wise and the whole family enjoyed it. Thanks.

 

[Coasty]

I made this for a big group tonight, and even made my own saffron pasta, a good combination. Easy to make but very impressive dish. Made for ZWT 6.

 

[IngridH]

This is a real winner. I love the combination of the lemon and dill with salmon, and the sauce feels a lot lighter than I would have expected. I make a similar dish using a jarred sauce, but I prefer the homemade sauce in this recipe. I broiled the salmon specifically for this recipe, rather than using leftover; if I were to do that again, I'd season the fish with lemon and dill before broiling or grilling to get those flavors integrated into the fish. I would have liked the sauce to thicken a bit more, but I'd be quite happy to eat this again just as it is. Made for ZWT6.