How to Make Vodka Salmon Parmesan With Rigatoni -Vodka Salmon Parmesan With Rigatoni Recipe

How to Make Vodka Salmon Parmesan With Rigatoni

Ingredients

Servings: 4

1/2 cup (30 g) Italian parsley, chopped

1/4 oz. (7 g) package fresh chives, chopped

1/3 cup (80 ml) vodka

2 tbsp. (30 ml) olive oil

1 tbsp. (15 ml) lemon juice, freshly squeezed

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. (8 g) salt

1 tsp. (4 g) black pepper, freshly ground

1 lb. (450 g) salmon fillets

1/2 tbsp. (7 g) unsalted butter

1/2 cup (75 g) onion, chopped

2 15-oz. (425 g) cans crushed tomatoes, opened

1 cup (240 ml) half-and-half

1/4 cup (22 g) Parmesan cheese, grated

1 lb. (450 g) rigatoni pasta

How to make it

Method 1 Prepare the Marinade for the Salmon

1 Mix 1 tablespoon (8 grams) each of the parsley, chives, vodka and olive oil in a small bowl, using a fork to combine the ingredients.

2 Stir lemon juice, 1 clove of garlic, and 1 teaspoon (4 grams) each of salt and black pepper in the small bowl.

3 Pour the marinade in a shallow glass dish and place the salmon in the marinade skin-side down.

4 Cover the salmon with plastic wrap and then refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.

Method 2 Cook the Pasta

1 Bring water to a rolling boil in a large pot or Dutch oven over high heat.

 Sprinkle 1 teaspoon (4 grams) of salt into the water to flavor the pasta.

2 Empty the dry rigatoni into the boiling water. 

Cook the pasta for approximately 8 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Al dente means softened but still slightly firm.

3 Strain the water out of the pasta by pouring the pasta and water into a colander.

4 Return the pasta to the pot and stir in the remaining half-and-half, the remaining parsley and the Parmesan cheese.

5 Stir the reserved tomato and vodka sauce into the pasta. 

Cover the pasta and keep it warm.

Method 3 Prepare the Tomato and Vodka Sauce

1 Melt the butter combined with the remaining olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.

 The olive oil helps to increase the smoking point of the butter so that the butter doesn’t burn.

2 Sauté the onion until it is soft and translucent.

3 Add the remaining 2 garlic cloves and sauté them for 1 minute, being careful not to brown the chopped garlic. 

Stir the garlic frequently with a spatula.

4 Pour the remaining vodka over the onions and the garlic.

5 Cook the vegetables until they absorb most of the vodka. 

There should be about 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) of vodka remaining in the skillet after you reduce it.

6 Pour the crushed tomatoes over the onion/garlic/vodka reduction and simmer everything for about 8 minutes.

7 Stir in 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the half and half, stirring for 2 minutes while it simmers.

8 Remove the sauce from the heat. 

Cover it and keep it warm on top of your range.

Method 4 Broil the Salmon

1 Preheat the broiler to 500 °F (260 °C) and coat a broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2 Place the salmon that has been marinating onto the broiler pan, skin-side down. 

Pour the remaining marinade over the top of the salmon.

3 Broil the salmon for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet and on how well you like your salmon to be done. 

Make sure that you check the fish every 2 minutes or so to prevent it from burning.

4 Remove the broiler pan containing the salmon from the broiler and let it rest on your range top for about 5 minutes.

5 Move the salmon to a cutting board.

 Cut the salmon into 4-ounce (115 gram) pieces.

6 Remove the skin from the fish steaks and discard the skin into your garbage bin.

Method 5 Assemble the Dish

1 Scoop about 1 cup (150 grams) of the pasta with tomato and vodka sauce onto a plate.

2 Arrange 1 or 2 pieces of salmon over the pasta.

3 Garnish the dish with fresh parsley, if desired, and add some fresh Parmesan over the dish before you serve it.