Impressive enough for a dinner party, this pasta dish is luxurious, fragrant and takes no time at all to assemble.

Crème fraîche keeps very well and I always have some handy, along with fresh lemons and an assortment of dried pasta. All that was needed was a small amount of wild-caught smoked salmon and this was on the table in 12 minutes…fast and utterly fabulous, the lemony cream sauce lightly coats the pasta and the end result is rich-tasting without being at all heavy.

*Crème fraîche is available from good food emporiums. Don’t be tempted to substitute with sour cream – it tastes completely different. If you can’t find crème fraîche, use regular heavy cream.

**Parmesan isn’t traditionally served with fish or seafood pasta.

Tagliatelle with Smoked Salmon

TAGLIATELLE WITH SMOKED SALMON, LEMON & CREME FRAICHE

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons of unsalted butter

3.5 – 4 oz (100g) of smoked salmon, preferably wild-caught

The finely shredded zest and juice of half a large lemon

Freshly ground black pepper

3.5 fl oz (100ml) of crème fraîche

11 oz (300g) of tagliatelle verdi (spinach) or regular tagliatelle made with eggs

Action:

Heat the water for the pasta. Tagliatelle usually only takes about 3-5 minutes to cook.

Chop the smoked salmon into smallish pieces. Melt the butter in a small pan and add the salmon along with the lemon juice and a good grind of black pepper. Stir well, heat through gently then add the crème fraîche.

With the heat turned low, cook for about 4-5 minutes while the pasta is cooking. As soon as the pasta is al dente, drain it quickly and add it to the pan with the salmon and continue to cook for 30-60 seconds more, tossing well to combine.

Transfer to a warmed serving bowl, scatter the lemon zest all over and serve immediately.