If you ever ate lobster mac and cheese you know how good adding seafood makes it. Salmon tastes even better.
I didn’t originally start out to make salmon mac and cheese for dinner. My taste buds were set for a nice piece of baked fish.
My local store had salmon fillets on sale so I grabbed some.
When I got home and started to prep the fish it was full of bones! The cut didn’t allow me to just pull bones out without tearing the fish. I’d rather have my fillet a little mangled than eat bones, but this was ridiculous.
So I took the shortcut and cut it in pieces. Okay, now what was I to do with it?
I was making mac and cheese anyway, so why not add the salmon?
This dish turned out full of flavor. I sprinkled the salmon pieces with seafood seasoning and baked them just until the fish flaked.
The mac and cheese was creamy and moist with the added fish. Neufchatel cheese made it smooth without all the added calories. A pinch of sweet smoked paprika and I was in heaven! I topped off the dish with a sprinkle of chopped rosemary. So good!
Yes, I could have made something else and took the fish back to the store. I’m glad I decided the trip wasn’t worth it!
- 1 pound salmon pieces
- 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning
- 2 cups mini pasta shells
- 4 ounces Neufchatel cheese
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1½ cups 2 percent milk
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- salt and pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
- chopped rosemary, optional
- Lightly spray a casserole dish with cooking spray or add a teaspoon of oil with the fish pieces. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, flipping once and cooking until the fish flakes easily.
- While fish bakes, cook pasta according to package directions.
- Make the sauce by whisking the cornstarch, paprika, salt and pepper to taste into the milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. whisk in cheeses until melted.
- Add salmon and drained pasta and bake uncovered at 350 until thoroughly heated and sauce thickens a bit more.
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