Buoy 10 Salmon & Asparagus Green Pasta Salad
I first had this pasta salad in Spokane and knew it would find its way back into my life. For our mother’s birthday, my sister Lillian and I made this simple, bright summer dish—one that truly speaks to the bounty of the season.
The salmon, caught by yours truly in the Columbia River, Buoy 10, to be specific, was treated with the care and respect every hard-earned catch deserves. Seasoned with our Buoy 10 Salmon Rub Served over the infamous green pasta salad we'd all swooned over months prior, this meal was perfect for celebrating our Mumsy, indeed.
*you can make this sauce a few days ahead of time if you want to get real crazy
Green Sauce
- ⅔ cup full-fat Greek yogurt
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ~1½ cups fresh herbs (dill, basil, mint — if you can get your hands on tarragon, throw that in there too)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice + zest of ½ lemon
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Pasta Salad
- 16 oz pasta (orecchiette pictured here and preferred)
- 1 bunch asparagus (cut into bite-size pieces)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Salt + pepper
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
Steps
1. Boil water
- Big pot, salted water.
2. Make the sauce
- Blend everything from the sauce section until smooth.
- Set aside.
3. Cook pasta + veggies
- Cook pasta according to package.
- Last 2 minutes: add asparagus + peas to the same pot.
4. Drain + cool
- Drain everything.
- Let sit ~5 minutes so it’s not piping hot or use blanching method
5. Mix it up
- Toss pasta + veggies with sauce.
- Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if you want.
6. WAIT
- Set aside and start making the salmon. Perhaps sneak a bite, or two
Buoy 10 Salmon
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2 lbs (fresh or frozen) feeds 4-5 people
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Buoy 10 Salmon Rub
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Olive oil or butter
Instructions
*you may cook your salmon however you see fit
1. Heat the pan
-
Heat your trusty cast iron on medium heat
2. Prep the salmon
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Slice into preferred portions
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Pat dry both sides
3. Season
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Coat generously with Buoy 10 Salmon Rub
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Skip the skin side
4. Add fat
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Drizzle olive oil or butter into the pan
5. Cook (skin-side down first)
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Place salmon skin-side down
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Cook 70–80% of the way on this side
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This crisps the skin and gently cooks the fish
6. Flip
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Flip and cook flesh side down ~1 minute
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Just enough to get a little color
7. Rest
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Remove from heat
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Let sit 2–5 minutes (salmon keeps cooking with residual heat, my loves)
Time to dish up. Scoop a generous portion of the pasta salad onto that plate of yours and your loved ones-top it with pan seared salmon and enjoy every last bite. And then another, and another.