Creamy Dill Salmon & Broccoli Pasta Recipe for Weeknight Dinner

Add some zing to your pasta night with this salmon and broccoli pasta in a creamy dill-flavoured sauce. Salmon and dill pair beautifully. Add chopped mushrooms for extra depth and peas for little pops of sweetness and you have a delicious supper that’s ready in next to no time.

A different way to serve salmon

When I attended a conference in Copenhagen I noticed salmon featured on almost every menu: smoked at breakfast, open sandwiches at lunch and big portions for supper. One of the dishes I tried there inspired this salmon and broccoli pasta with creamy dill sauce. It used salmon poached in dill-infused milk and combined the fish with broccoli and mushrooms in a silky sauce over pasta.

That combination of simple ingredients produced an impressive burst of flavour. I’ve since adapted the original recipe to suit my taste: swapping heavy cream for a milk-and-cornflour thickened sauce so it feels lighter while still rich and satisfying. The result cooks quickly — you can have it on the table in about half an hour.

What do you need?

This dish relies on a few main ingredients: salmon, broccoli, mushrooms and peas, plus a simple dill-and-parsley milk sauce and your pasta of choice. The printable recipe card at the end has the full ingredient list and quantities.

The recipe serves two but scales up easily. Prep is about 15 minutes; if you boil the pasta while the fish poaches, total cooking time is roughly 15 minutes more.

Salmon

Allow roughly 100g (3.5oz) of fresh salmon per person. You don’t need to remove the skin before cooking — it comes away easily after poaching. If fresh salmon isn’t available, canned salmon will work and makes the dish even quicker.

Broccoli

Use about half a cup of florets per person. Regular or tender-stem broccoli both work. If you prefer a different vegetable, try red pepper, green beans, sugar snap peas, zucchini or carrots.

Mushrooms

Baby button mushrooms are ideal, but white, chestnut or portobello mushrooms are fine too. Slice or quarter them depending on size; aim for roughly half a cup per person.

Peas

Frozen petit pois add a sweet touch and thaw quickly in the sauce. Garden peas or frozen corn are valid swaps.

Sauce

The sauce is made with butter, milk, dried dill and parsley, a little salt and cornflour (cornstarch) to thicken. Use half the milk to poach the salmon and the rest mixed with cornflour to finish the sauce.

If you prefer fresh herbs, use about three times the amount by volume compared to dried (1 tsp dried ≈ 1 tbsp fresh).

Pasta

Linguine works beautifully because it holds the sauce and wraps around the fork, but spaghetti or a similar long pasta will do. Avoid short tubular shapes that won’t pick up the sauce as well.

How to make salmon and broccoli pasta

Start the pasta first to save time — it will cook while you poach the fish and prepare the veg.

• Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Add a teaspoon of salt to the water if you like.
• Drain the pasta and keep it warm.
• Trim the broccoli into florets and slice or quarter the mushrooms.

Poach the salmon

• Pour half the milk into a large frying pan, add the butter and the dried dill and parsley, and heat until the butter melts.
• Lay the salmon skin-side down in the hot milk, cover with a lid and poach gently for about 6 minutes until the colour lightens.
• Carefully turn the salmon and poach for another 3 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
• Remove the salmon, break it into flakes and leave the poaching liquid in the pan to make the sauce.

Make the sauce and cook the vegetables

• Mix 1 tablespoon cornflour with the remaining cup of milk until smooth and add to the poaching liquid in the pan. Season with salt and stir over low heat until the sauce thickens.
• While the fish poaches, steam or microwave the broccoli until just tender (about 3 minutes in a covered dish in the microwave). You can also boil or steam on the stove.
• Sauté the mushrooms in a knob of butter until softened and set aside.

• When the sauce is thick, add the drained pasta and toss to coat. Fold in the broccoli, mushrooms and frozen peas and heat gently until piping hot and the peas have thawed.
• Gently stir in the flaked salmon, check seasoning and serve immediately.

How to scale the recipe

Use these per-person amounts as a guide to scale up:

• 100g (3.5oz) salmon
• ½ cup broccoli florets, ½ cup mushrooms, ¼ cup frozen peas
• 30g (1oz) butter
• 1 cup milk (split: half for poaching, half mixed with cornflour)
• ½ tsp dried dill and ½ tsp dried parsley (or 1 tbsp each fresh)
• 65g (2oz) dried pasta per person

What to serve with it

The dish is satisfying on its own, but garlic toast and a simple green salad with sliced tomato make pleasant accompaniments.

Is salmon good for you?

Salmon is a nutritious choice: rich in omega-3 fatty acids and a lean source of protein. Eating oily fish like salmon regularly supports heart health and offers a nutrient-dense alternative to red meat.

A little-known fact about dill

Dill is versatile: the fronds are used fresh or dried to flavour fish and salads, the seeds appear in pickling and some curries, and historically the name is linked to an old Norse word meaning “to soothe.”

Make in advance

This dish freezes poorly, but it can be prepared ahead. Assemble and store in an ovenproof container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in the oven or microwave until thoroughly hot.

Save for later

Save the recipe to your favourites or pin it for later reference so you can make it again when you need a quick, tasty meal.

Related recipes

If you liked this salmon pasta, you may enjoy other seafood pasta dishes that combine simple ingredients with comforting flavours.

📋The recipe

If you made this recipe and enjoyed it, I’d love a rating in the comments. You can also contact me at [email protected] and subscribe to the newsletter for a free cookbook.

Continue browsing my other recipes for more ideas and variations.