Salmon alfredo is a creamy and flavorful meal that's easy enough to make on a busy weeknight! Fettuccine pasta and flaked salmon are tossed in a homemade alfredo sauce.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place salmon fillets, skin side down, onto baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until salmon flakes apart easily in the center with a fork. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before flaking salmon apart with a fork. Set aside.
Meanwhile, bring a stock pot of salted water to a boil. Cook fettuccine according to package directions for al dente pasta. Before draining, ladle out 1 cup of pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta and return stock pot to the stove.
Over medium heat, add butter to the stock pot. Once melted and bubbling, add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add heavy cream, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until sauce has thickened slightly. Add parmesan cheese and stir until melted.
Reduce heat to low. Add your cooked fettuccine and ½ to ¾ cup of reserved pasta water to the pot and stir to incorporate (add more reserved pasta water as needed to achieved desired sauce consistency). Add flaked salmon and toss to coat just before serving.
Notes
This recipe makes just enough sauce to lightly coat your pasta and salmon. If you love lots of sauce, I recommend doubling the sauce portion of the recipe.
Forget to reserve some of your pasta water? Add ¼ teaspoon of cornstarch to 1 cup of water and whisk until completely dissolved.
Alfredo sauce does not do well as a leftover - sauce will separate (the emulsion breaks) when reheated in the microwave or on the stove top.
Substituting heavy cream with half & half or milk will make your sauce very thin and less creamy - I do not recommend using any dairy other than heavy cream for this recipe.
Pre-shredded cheeses contain anti-clumping powders that when melted, will make your sauce grainy. I do not recommend using pre-shredded cheese.