Salmon and Noodles Alfredo with Shallots and Green Peas

Salmon and Noodles Alfredo with Shallots and Green Peas

It's not easy to find fresh, affordable wild-caught salmon in grocery stores here, so I always have some frozen salmon on hand.

The challenge is then: How do I make it taste fresh?



Dousing it with lemon and adding herbs and cooking it at the right oven temperature is one way to achieve better taste. Serving it in an Alfredo sauce is another. (I knew I had some in the pantry; Wisconsin winters force me to plan for all contingencies. But I also had most of the ingredients for home-made sauce.)

Surveying my refrigerator yesterday, I found about 1/3 cup of sliced black olives, some shallots, and in the freezer, a handful of frozen peas. I scanned the Internet for inspiration, and found this recipe from the Reluctant Gourmet, which served as my inspiration.

Salmon and Noodles Alfredo with Shallots and Green Peas

• 1 medium salmon fillet, baked according to package directions
• approximately one tablespoon lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons shallots, peeled and sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup blanched almonds
• 1/2 cup peas, fresh or frozen, prepared according to directions*
• 1/3 cup black olives 
• 2-3 cups Alfredo sauce (see below)
• 3 cups dried egg noodles or other pasta, prepared according to package directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking pan with parchment or foil. Drizzle salmon with lemon juice and sprinkle with seasonings. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until fish becomes flaky. Then set it aside until it is cool enough to break into small chunks.

While salmon is cooling, peel and slice shallots. Melt butter in a saucepan, and caramelize the shallots. Add the almonds toward the end of the process so they will brown slightly. Set aside and prepare the Alfredo sauce. (I used this recipe from Emeril Lagasse, using Parmesan instead of Parmigiano-Reggiano.)

Blend the Alfredo sauce with the shallots and almonds, along with the olives and peas. Break your chilled salmon fillet into small pieces and add to the sauce. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 10-15 minutes while you are prepare egg noodles or other pasta according to package directions.

Serve sauce over noodles. I did not find it necessary to add seasoning. Makes two large servings or four small.  Salmon and shallots work together; one seems to intensify the other's taste.

I'm happy to report that the contents of my refrigerator are diminishing.

*One minute in the microwave should be sufficient for heating frozen peas.