Salmon Linguine with Wild Garlic Pesto

Last Updated on May 31, 2024

Click to skip straight to the Salmon Linguine with Wild Garlic Pesto recipe

It’s that time of year.  Furtive whispers, triumphant posts on social media, sharing of ‘is it/isn’t it’ pictures.  All for a dark green leafy ingredient that can be foraged from secret spots across the UK. With a lighter flavour than traditional garlic, the green leaves can be used in a variety of ways and wild garlic appears on restaurant menus from late February through to the end of May, a badge of honour for ‘seasonal and local’ food lovers.  It is something of a magic ingredient – and it’s free if you forage for it.  Mine was actually part of a vegetable box sent to me by Turnips of Borough Market after I won one of their online competitions – so free for me too!  Nestling in amongst the Roscoff onions, mangosteen and heritage radishes was an unmistakable bunch of wild garlic. I was so thrilled to be sent some.  Any London foraging locations are a closely guarded secret that no one has shared with me.  And, wild garlic pesto is a real treat at this time of year, heralding Spring in much the same way as asparagus.  Pairing the wild garlic pesto as a sauce for salmon linguine is a simple yet somehow glamorous supper dish that, if you’ve already made your pesto, can be on your plate in 20 minutes.  If you prefer you can make salmon linguine with wild garlic pesto using one of the popular pre-made versions – but there’s nothing quite like fresh pesto, so I’d recommend trying your best to lay your hands on your own – whether you forage in the woods and fields, at Borough Market – or simply pester a friend who lives in the country!

Making wild garlic pesto is a ritual that marks spring, just as homemade basil pesto for me is a late summer treat. You can make pesto in a blender, but if you do you may find that the end result is just a little overprocessed.  Traditional pesto from Liguria is made in a pestle and mortar.  Sometimes, just sometimes I’ll do that myself with basil.  But never with wild garlic which is a bit coarser and harder to break down.  Since I don’t own a full-sized blender, I make my wild garlic pesto using a hybrid method that does involve a pestle and mortar.  I don’t make enough to freeze my wild garlic pesto but it keeps reasonably well in an olive oil sealed jar in the fridge for a week or so.  And, it gives me an excuse to make some of my favourite wild garlic dishes like this Salmon Linguine.  If you don’t have wild garlic pesto, it works almost as well as traditional basil pesto.  But, do use fresh pesto of one sort or another – you will really notice the difference.  At a pinch, rocket or arugula makes a delicious pesto – and everyone should be able to find that in the supermarket.

My recipe is very simple and uses the same basic ingredients that you would use for classic basil pesto.  Pine nuts (look for Italian or Mediterranean nuts if you can, which are longer and smoother than their Chinese counterpart), good quality olive oil (mine is Spanish), fresh wild garlic and Parmesan or pecorino cheese (if you are making with pesto for a vegetarian then pick an Italian style hard vegetarian cheese instead as both Parmesan and pecorino cheese traditionally include rennet).  A squeeze of lemon juice to help stop the pesto going brown and to lift the flavour and a little salt and pepper  – that’s it.

I’ll share a printable recipe for the salmon linguine with wild garlic pesto using the methodology for wild garlic pesto that works for me with no food processor.  I do however use a stick blender with a small processing unit (it’s a Bamix and has been with me now for fifteen years or more!). If you prefer to make your pesto in a food processor, that should work well.  And of course, if you are a perfectionist with strong arm muscles, then you can use a pestle and mortar.

My own method involves first half-blitzing the wild garlic leaves with a little salt, and then the pine nuts.  I tip both ingredients into a bowl that is tough enough for me to use a pestle and mash both together manually.  I then stir through the grated parmesan, mashing the ingredients a bit more.  Then gently stir in lemon juice and olive oil.  Finally, I taste and check the seasoning adding pepper and more salt if necessary.

To make pesto in a blender or food processor, add the garlic, followed by the pine nuts, followed by the grated parmesan, blitzing each time.  Then stir through the olive oil and lemon juice and season as in my hybrid method. Or, if you are using a pestle and mortar, just have a lot of patience and add the ingredients in the order above.  You will find the wild garlic leaves will break down faster with a little salt.

Once you have a pesto that has a thick sauce texture, pack it into small jars and top it with olive oil if you are not planning to use it immediately.

Make the wild garlic pesto in advance if you prefer.  Then, once you are ready to cook your salmon linguine it will take no longer than the time to cook the pasta.

For the salmon linguine, all you need is enough wild garlic pesto (between one and two teaspoons per person), one small salmon fillet per person, half a lemon and a little butter or olive oil.  And, a portion of pasta. Start by heating the oven to 170C (fan) and bringing a large pan of salted water to the boil. I cook my salmon en papillote, seasoned with salt and pepper and topped with a few slices of lemon and some butter.  It’s the low hassle way to make this dish – if you prefer you can pan fry or grill the salmon instead, but this way I don’t need to keep watching a second pan.  If you are using dried pasta then the timing is wonderfully simple.  Put the salmon in the oven, then set your pasta to cook.  By the time the pasta is cooked and ready to drain, your salmon should be ready.  Take a peek inside the papillote to make sure, then wrap it back up and put it to one side to keep warm.

Drain the pasta, reserving a little pasta water in the bottom of the pan.  Stir through the wild garlic pesto into the pan and reduce the sauce down a little if necessary.  Tip the pasta back into the pan and stir well to mix.  Then, open up your foil packet and tip the buttery lemony fish juices into the pasta and stir again.  Portion up the pasta into individual bowls or tip the whole panful into a large serving bowl.  Flake the salmon into the pasta and stir gently to mix before garnishing with more wild garlic if you have any (flowers would be pretty) or with a little fresh parsley.

Here’s the printable recipe for you, in case you want to try at home.  You’ll have about three-quarters of the wild garlic pesto left if you make a single portion of this Salmon Linguine with Wild Garlic.  Keep it in the fridge for up to a week or freeze it to use later in the year.

Print Recipe

5 from 9 votes

Salmon Linguine with Wild Garlic Pesto

A seasonal pasta dish to make use of fresh wild garlic

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Wild garlic pesto preparation (can be done in advance)15 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: European

Keyword: pasta sauce, Pesto, Salmon, Wild Garlic,

Servings: 1

Calories: 518kcal

Author: Fiona Maclean

Equipment

• Blender, food processor or pestle and mortar

Ingredients

Wild Garlic Pesto

• 1 bunch wild garlic around 70g
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 medium lemon
• 35 g pine nuts
• 35 g Parmesan cheese finely grated
• salt and pepper to season

Salmon Linguine with Wild Garlic Pesto

• 1 50g salmon portion
• 1/2 medium lemon
• 70 g dried linguine pasta
• 15 g butter or olive oil
• 2-3 tsp wild garlic pesto
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Wild Garlic Pesto

• Wash the wild garlic well, then blitz with the chopping attachment of a wand mixer. Once everything is roughly blitzed, tip into a heavy-duty bowl with a pinch of salt
• Use the same chopping attachment to break up the pine nuts. You don't need to wash out the bowl. Tip the pine nuts in with the wild garlic
• Use the pestle of a pestle and mortar to mix both ingredients together and to break down the ingredients a bit more
• Stir through the cheese, using the pestle to continue creating a thick paste
• Add olive oil until the pesto reaches a mix just a little thicker than the desired consistency, then squeeze in the juice of half a lemon
• Season with salt and pepper then pack into a small jar, topped with olive oil to help stop browning

Salmon Linguine with Wild Garlic Pesto

• Set the oven to 180C or 170C (fan). Put a large pan of salted water on to boil
• Place your salmon in the centre of a rectangle of parchment or foil, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with oil or smear with softened butter and top with lemon slices.
• Close up the rectangle, sealing the edges as firmly as possible and put on a baking tray in the oven.
• Add your pasta to the boiling water and reduce the heat to a strong simmer (I think this is what chefs would call a rolling boil)
• Cook for the time on the packet, testing a minute or so early until you have al-dente pasta with just a little resistance
• Drain well, reserving a little pasta water in the bottom of the cooking pan
• Stir the wild garlic pesto into the pasta water and heat through over a very low flame
• Take the pan off the heat, add the pasta back in and mix well. Now stir through the juices from the salmon
• Put the pasta in a serving dish or individual pasta bowls
• Flake the salmon into the pasta and stir through gently
• Garnish with fresh parsley or with wild garlic flowers if you hav any!

Nutrition

Calories: 518kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 476mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 233IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 2mg

Of course, the wild garlic pesto is delicious as a pasta sauce without the salmon.  So, this makes an easy flexitarian supper – especially if you remember to use vegetarian cheese for the wild garlic pesto.  And, if you don’t have wild garlic pesto, it’s just as nice with a traditional basil pesto.

Looking for something different?  Try our prawn and chorizo linguine recipe for a similarly easy pasta dish that makes the perfect supper.  Or this wonderful pasta dish with creamy mushrooms and spinach.