Roasted Salmon + Pasta Puttanesca

Serves 4 | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes

While I won’t go into the literal translation of puttanesca, the sauce is an Italian classic with tomatoes, anchovies, garlic and olives. I like this sauce as it uses the oven to cook the sauce, leaving more time to clean up easier.

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds cherry or grape tomatoes
½ cup halved and thinly sliced shallot or 1 large shallot
4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1 cup drained pitted and torn kalamata olives
2 tablespoons drained capers
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes plus more for serving
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or 1 lemon
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup finely sliced fresh basil plus more for serving
Four 6-ounce filets of salmon pin-bones removed and skin off
8-10 ounces linguine or gluten-free brown rice linguine if you’re gluten free

Chef Tips

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 425℉. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

In a 9×13 baking dish, combine the tomatoes, shallot, garlic, olives, capers, 1/3 cup of the olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, parsley, and basil. Toss until well combined. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake, uncovered, until the cherry tomatoes begin to burst, about 15 minutes.

Step 2

Remove from the oven and toss. Nestle the salmon filets in the cherry tomatoes and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Transfer back into the oven and bake until the salmon is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the linguine to the boiling water and cook until al dente according to package instructions. Drain the pasta and transfer to a large serving bowl.

Step 3

Flake the salmon into bite-sized pieces then carefully pour the salmon-tomato mixture over the cooked pasta and gently toss until the pasta is just coated in the sauce. It might seem a little overly runny at first, but the pasta will drink up the liquid from the cherry tomatoes within a few short minutes. Taste and add more salt to taste, if desired.

To serve, garnish with more fresh basil and crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.