Salmon Zucchini Orzo Pasta

A skillet of zucchini orzo pasta topped with salmon and basil.

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Salmon Zucchini Orzo Pasta is the perfect summer dinner, brimming with seasonal veggies like zucchini, basil, and sweet corn cut off the cob! It's super simple with pan seared salmon fillets and creamy orzo, ready in 40 minutes!

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 664kcal

Author: Meryl Downing

Ingredients

For the Salmon

1 pound salmon filets skin removed
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6 grinds fresh black pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter

For the Sauce

1 cup dry orzo pasta (reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining)
1 small onion chopped (about 1 cup)
2 small zucchini chopped (about 2 cups)
1 ear sweet corn kernels cut from the cob (about 1 cup)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
4 grinds fresh black pepper
4 cloves garlic minced
1 cup heavy cream
⅓ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
⅓ cup fresh basil leaves roughly chopped

Instructions

Prep all ingredients before beginning. Set a pot of water to boil for the orzo and use another large skillet to pan sear the salmon, saute the veggies, make the sauce, and finally combine with the orzo.
Portion the salmon into 4 pieces and season with salt and pepper. Chop the onion and garlic, cut the zucchini in half lengthwise then slice into half circles, and cut the corn kernels off the cob.
When the water is boiling, add a pinch of salt and cook the orzo for 9 minutes. BEFORE DRAINING, pull out about 1 cup of the starchy cooking water and reserve for the sauce. A ladle, coffee mug or measuring cup work well.
Meanwhile, preheat a large skillet over medium heat with olive oil and butter. When hot, sear the salmon, presentation side down (skin side up), about 2 to 4 minutes per side. This will vary greatly depending on the thickness of the salmon. You want it just cooked through but not over cooked, you can flake a corner with a fork to check. Remove to a plate.
Add the onion, zucchini and corn to the hot oil and butter in the skillet and saute until golden. Season with salt and pepper. Stir often but not too often so some color can develop, about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, then add the heavy cream and ½ cup of the starchy pasta cooking water. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer about 5 minutes until thickened.
Add the drained orzo, Parmesan cheese and some of the fresh chopped basil. Add more starchy cooking liquid as needed if your sauce becomes too dry.
Nestle the salmon fillets into the orzo to rewarm. Garnish with more fresh basil leaves and Parmesan.

Notes

Salmon - I used wild-caught salmon, skin removed and cut into 4 portions. You can ask for the skin and the pin bones to be removed at the seafood counter. You could also cook the fish with the skin on, then peel it off after being cooked. You can also use frozen salmon, thawed overnight in the fridge.
Frozen corn can be substituted to make this dish any time of year.
Other fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary or oregano can be subbed for the basil. Or add ½ teaspoon dried herbs.
To stretch the recipe, use add an extra ¼ to ½ cup of orzo.

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