Put the pasta on to cook in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water and cook as per the packet instructions.
350 g spaghetti
Beat the eggs together in a bowl, season with freshly ground black pepper, and stir in most of the parmesan cheese.
3 eggs, 1 dash black pepper, 100 g Parmesan cheese
Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Using the back of a knife, press down on the garlic bulbs. This helps the flavour to be released. Add the garlic bulbs to the frying pan and fry for 2 minutes. Remove the garlic cloves with a slotted spoon and discard. The garlic flavour will be left.
50 g butter, 2 cloves garlic
Keep the heat on low and when the spaghetti is cooked, scoop out a small cup of pasta water and put it to one side. Drain the spaghetti then add to the frying pan.
Add the salmon strips and toss it all together and make sure the pasta is well coated in the butter. Add a few tablespoons of the pasta water. This helps with the creamy texture.
200 g smoked salmon
The crucial moment. Take the frying pan off the heat and quickly pour in the eggs and cheese. Toss it furiously together. Add a little more of the pasta water if you need to loosen it some more. Serve immediately with the remainder of the cheese sprinkled on top with more freshly ground black pepper and freshly chopped chives or parsley.
Notes
Ingredient Notes
Smoked Salmon - is widely available and is cured or smoked so doesn't need cooking. It is sometimes called Lox or Hot or BBQ Smoked Salmon. In some North American cities, it's also known as 'Nova'. Look for the Marine Conservation Society label to show the salmon has been responsibily sourced.
Pasta - the best pasta to use in a carbonara is a long pasta such as spaghetti, linguine or tagliatelle. You can of course make it with any pasta shapes.
Parmesan - is the traditional cheese used in a carbonara. It is a hard Italian cheese with a strong, nutty flavour. Buy a block and grate it yourself for the best flavour. pre-grated parmesan has a blander taste.
Eggs - use any eggs. This recipe uses all the egg, not just the yolk as we are all about minimising food waste.
Butter - because Smoked Salmon has a high sodium content due to the salt added during the curing and brining process, I use unsalted butter.
Herbs - fresh parsley, chives or dill are optional but a nice addition
Storage
Leftover Smoked Salmon Carbonara can be kept in the fridge for 2 - 3 days. You can eat it cold and it makes a great lunch the next day. It can be re-heated but it is advised to only reheat dishes once. Make sure it is piping hot. Because a carbonara already has the egg and cheese mixed in, it's best only re-heated in a microwaveSmoked Salmon freezes well so keep some in for the next time you want to make this salmon carbonara recipe.