Pasta salad with grilled salmon and avocado pesto

• 10 minutes to prepare • 15 minutes to cook • 1 hour to marinate • Serves 4

 

10 MINUTES

This pasta salad recipe has been a favorite of my family for years. It is not a surprise, given the fact that it features some of Nina's and my favorite ingredients: basil, almonds, salmon, avocado and tomatoes.

There's almost nothing that can go wrong with this combination!

It’s one of those dishes that, for some reason, I only make in the summer. Which is crazy, because it would be a perfect side dish all over the year.

This recipe is similar to one my mom made when I was growing up, and she has been making it for almost 30 years.

It makes a huge bowl, and is actually better the second day, so making it ahead is no problem…and the leftovers are absolutely delicious.

Here's what you will need for the 4-serving recipe:

 

320 g maccheroni pasta
300 g salmon fillets

200 ml dry white wine
10 cherry tomatoes
100 g almonds
400 g ripe avocado
sugar

10 leaves basil

EVO oil
salt and pepper

1. Remove the skin from salmon fillets and cut them into pieces
2. Place salmon in a large bowl, simmer it with white wine and season it with salt and freshly ground pepper. Let the salmon to marinate for about 1 hour
3. Meanwhile, heat a non-stick pan over high heat for a few minutes. Cut tomatoes by half and distribute them - with the cut side down - over the pan. Drizzle 1 tablespoons of EVO oil, add a pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar
4. Cook over medium heat until the sugar begins to caramelize. Press the tomatoes with the back of a spoon and cook until the juice released by tomatoes evaporates, then let them cool down
5. Pour 1 l of water in a large pot and bring to boil. As soon as the water boils, salt it and pour maccheroni pasta. Drain al dente after about 10 minutes and place it under running cool water to stop the cooking. Keep aside
6. Once the 1-hour time has passed, release the salmon from the wine. Dry it with a kitchen towel
7. Peel the avocado and cube it in a blender. Add basil leaves, almonds and EVO oil. Blend until you obtain a smooth pesto, then add some salt
8. Arrange your pasta salad: mix maccheroni pasta with avocado pesto and caramelized tomatoes. Add grilled salmon and toasted almonds on top. Stir gently and bring to the table!

In the following, Nutrition Facts of this dish are indicated. Data is provided per serving.