Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad

This delicious side dish combines the smoky saltiness of the salmon, the tart sweetness of the mandarin oranges, the fresh crunch of the celery, the filling pasta of your choice, and the earthy herbs to enhance the fresh taste.

You might also like my other pasta salads including this creamy tuna pasta salad, cold taco pasta salad, dill pickle pasta salad and caprese pasta salad.

Ingredients

• dry penne pasta - You can swap out the penne for whatever short-pasta you have on hand such as Fusilli, elbow, rotini or bowtie.
• hot-smoked salmon - The flaky kind. Read more about hot smoked salmon further down.
• mandarin oranges - The salad may be salty with its smoked salmon and capers, but the salad breaks the saltiness down with citrus fruit like lemon juice and mandarin oranges. If you want a fruit that is similar to mandarin oranges but with a sweeter taste, I recommend clementines. They are honey-sweet, a tad sour, seedless (less hassle for you), and are related to mandarins.
• celery - For some crunch!
• capers - Capers and salmon are a classic combination. They add a nice pop of briny flavor.
• mayonnaise - This pasta salad uses mayo to help bind the ingredients together. If you wish to use an alternative ingredient similar to mayo to bind them, Greek yogurt or sour cream have a similar creamy and tangy taste.
• lemon juice - Freshly squeezed.
• fresh dill - You can substitute with dried dill (but use less).
• chives - To garnish.

*Check recipe card for ingredient amounts.

Difference Between Hot-Smoked and Cold-Smoked Salmon

The reason my recipe specifies hot-smoked salmon is because hot-smoked salmon and cold-smoked salmon have different tastes and textures due to their unique processes.

Both of them are cured, rinsed and smoked. However, the cold-smoked version is cured in salt to draw out the moisture and is smoked around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

On the other hand, hot-smoked is cured using salt water or wet brine and smoked at a higher temperature of around 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Because of these differences, the cold version has a silky texture and fresh taste (which is great on bagels and crackers), while the hot version is flakier and tastes smokier. The hot-smoked version is what I use in this salad for its flakier texture and smokiness.

How to Make Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad

The flavors may be layered, but the process is easy. Here are three simple steps to make this smoked salmon salad:

1. Cook pasta. Prepare pasta al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cool water.
2. Mix together. Mix all ingredients (except for the chives) with the pasta in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Chill and serve. You can serve the pasta salad right away or chill in the refrigerator for later (1 to 2 hours). When ready to serve, top with chives.

Tips

• For the best texture, be sure to cook the pasta until just al dente and then immediately rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process. There is nothing worse than a mushy pasta salad.
• Instead of a side dish, you may want to serve this as a hot smoked salmon pasta lunch or dinner. To do this, simply serve it right away without chilling the ingredients and don't rinse the pasta with cool water.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 5 days.

More Delicious Seafood Recipes to Consider