Salmon Pasta Salad

Here’s one of my favorite pasta salad creations that comes from years of fishing and catching Alaska wild salmon. Many times we would have leftover salmon from dinner the night before and it gets used up nicely in this recipe.

3 cups bow tie or shell pasta

1 1/2 cups cooked, flaked salmon, about 8-10 oz

1 cup diced or sliced celery

1/2 cup diced dill pickles

1-2 fresh jalapenos diced or sliced thin

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup plain yogurt

1-2 tablespoons of the pickle brine, or Bragg’s apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon of Spike

Optional; 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
Optional; 2 tablespoons of sliced green onions

Cook salmon by baking it with a little olive oil, salt and pepepr the night before and chill in the fridge, preferably for dinner and use the planned leftovers for this recipe.  Clean the cooked salmon of any remaining fat, and bones.

Cook pasta according to directions on package. Rinse well with cold water and drain.
In a large mixing bowl combine mayonnaise,yogurt, 1 tablespoon pickle brine, and Spike. Mix in pasta, celery pickles, jalapenos, and parsley. Carefully mix in the salmon being careful to leave some visible pieces for visual effect. Add more pickle brine if it looks at all thick. This type of pasta salad tends to soak up the dressing making it a bit dry if served hours after preparation. Chill for 30 minutes or more and serve with a bit of parsley on top if you like.
Serves 6-8.

Shopping list:

2-3 pounds of salmon filets

fresh celery

mayonnaise

plain yogurt

2 fresh jalapenos

dill pickles

fresh green onions, optional

fresh parsley, optional

Spike seasoning salt

1 box bowtie or small shell pasta