RECIPE - Salmon, Ikura, Spinach & Asparagus Cream Pasta
- Mr T
- Mar 9, 2021
- 3 min read
This is a 100% cheat meal! We all need cheat days and while this contains a lot of 'no no' foods, it is still cooked at home by you with a lot of fresh, healthy ingredients, love & care which makes is 1000x healthier than eating out/getting a take-out!
Other than this being a super yummy cheat meal, the other reason I love it is because it is super quick & easy to make! Perfect for a Friday night after work when you want a treat but not a lot of effort!
Shopping list (makes approx 4 meals):
Fresh salmon 300-400grams (I buy sashimi grade for quality and no bones / skin to deal with)
Ikura (salmon roe) 60-80grams
Spinach x2 packs
Asparagus 6-8 spears
Garlic cloves x2
Fresh cream 200-300ml (depending on how creamy/saucy/rich you like it)
Eggs x2 beaten
Light miso paste x2-3tsps
Wasabi zuke x2-3tsps (or 1 teaspoon of regular wasabi paste / fresh grated wasabi)
Butter - 1 large knob
Fresh cracked black pepper
Lemon x4 segments/wedges (1/2 a lemon)
Fresh herbs e.g. dill / parsley (optional)
Pasta of your choice (I think tagliatelle/fettuccine/pappardelle work well for this - but any pasta is okay)
The miso/wasabi zuke adds the umami to this dish, so don't skip it. I add no salt to this dish because the miso already contains a lot, as do the ikura themselves. The fresh lemon's acidity and fresh herbs help cut through the cream.
Method
Break the bottom fibrous inch of the asparagus off and discard. Wash and chop the spears into pieces around an inch or two long.
Cut the dirty roots off the spinach. Chop, wash and dry the rest.
Thinly slice the garlic cloves.
Chop the salmon into four equal portions.
Mix your miso & wasabi zuke together with a little of your cream, or a splash of milk to turn it into a smooth paste.
If you haven't already, beat your two eggs together in a small bowl.
Now that you are all prepped (Yes! That's really all you need to do to get ready!), check the cooking time of your pasta, boil water and start it so that it finishes cooking at the same time as the below - which will take approx. 13mins (Yup! That's it!)....
Put the knob of butter, garlic and maybe a lug of olive oil into a large frying in pan and turn on medium-high heat.
When the garlic begins to sizzle, add your chopped asparagus and fry off for approx 2-3mins.
Remove the asparagus and garlic from the pan before the garlic burns.
Over a medium heat, add the small salmon fillets to the pan and gently sear them on each of their four sides for 30-40 seconds each.
Add the spinach and wilt in the pan for 2mins, put the salmon on top of the spinach to prevent it overcooking.
Add back in your garlic and asparagus before the spinach has finished wilting.
As soon as the spinach has wilted, turn down the heat and add your cream and miso + wasabi mixture, as well as lots of fresh cracked black pepper.
Gently stir the flavours together, being careful not to break up the salmon fillets.
Warm your cream mixture for just 2mins and then add your beaten egg and warm for a further minute - NOTE: continually gently stir in the egg over a low heat and be very careful not to overcook and turn it into scrambled eggs! It should literally take about a minute to warm through.
Turn off the heat to your sauce, drain your pasta and arrange on a dish of your choice.
Add the sauce & ingredients on top of the pasta with a salmon fillet placed on top in the centre.
Portion your ikura out into four and scatter over the top of each dish.
Add fresh chopped herbs if you are doing so, an extra crack of black pepper and a lemon segment to the side.
Before eating, squeeze on the fresh lemon and gently break apart the salmon fillet into flakes to incorporate throughout the dish - ENJOY!
Serving your pasta:
When you are finished cooking / serving, it may look something like this:
Doesn't it just MAKESENSE to give in to your cravings sometimes?! It is important to allow yourself occasional deviation from whatever 'diet' you might be following, as it's the only way to make it sustainable in the long term... the most important thing is that you are making conscious decisions and YOU are the one preparing your meals with fresh, healthy ingredients & less salt/butter/cream, than a restaurant would use.
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