Creamy Smoked Trout Spaghetti

Wednesday night, until the last few months or so (when I switched to Friday mornings), was Pilates night aka we need something that is quick to cook for dinner night.. which in my world generally means pasta. I’d been looking therefore for some interesting and quick pasta recipes else it would be all too easy to always fall back on my pancetta pasta or defrosted bolognese / ragu from the freezer (of which we always have a few portions).

I found this on Not Quite Nigella’s website which is a good source of inspiration for me.

I’ve adapted this slightly - mainly through necessity as we didn’t have any cream and I didn’t want to buy more when such a small amount would be used. The creaminess in this case comes therefore from the egg yolks, starchy pasta water, and a little crème fraîche.


Creamy Trout Spaghetti
serves 2

200g spaghetti (I used wholewheat)
1 egg, plus one yolk, beaten well with a fork (you won’t need all of this)
100g hot smoked trout
small handful asparagus tips, sliced into 1½ inch lengths
1 tbsp crème fraîche
a small handful of fresh dill, roughly chopped
15g parmesan
salt and pepper

Boil the spaghetti according to directions in plenty of salted, boiling water.

Beat the crème fraîche into the eggs.

Blanch asparagus in the boiling water, remove drain, plunge into cold water then drain again.

When the pasta is ready, take out one cup of the pasta water and set aside. Drain the spaghetti and immediately, put it back in the pot along with the egg and cream mix and use the heat of the spaghetti to cook the eggs and asparagus - the asparagus gives it a nice crunch so you don't want it too soft.

Add some of the pasta water to loosen the sauce a little then add the trout and dill and season with a little salt and a generous grind of black pepper.