Salmon and red pepper pasta salad with corn

Summer is coming to an end in the northern parts of the world, and this salmon and red pepper pasta salad with corn is the perfect salad to see us through the last of the summer barbeques. For those of you in the southern hemisphere – you are lucky. This salad will see you right through the summer!

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The last salad of the summer

I’m sharing a really delicious salad with you today. It’s a creamy salmon and red pepper pasta salad, made with basic store cupboard ingredients. All you need is some pasta, a can of salmon, a can of sweetcorn and a jar of roasted red peppers. This is the perfect salad to see you through the last of the summer days.

This is one of hubby’s favourite salads, and to be honest, it’s one of mine too. The piquancy of the red pepper goes so well with the salmon, and I love the way the sweetcorn kernels pop when you bite into them. And it’s all mixed up with a creamy dill flavoured dressing.

This salmon pasta salad makes a perfect meal alongside a sausage or a piece of grilled chicken or steak fresh off the barbeque. All you need in addition is a nice crusty breadroll.

How to make this salad

You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making salmon and red pepper pasta salad on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

This is one of the easiest recipes to make. Start off by boiling up some of your favourite dried pasta shapes in a pan of lightly salted water. For 4 to 6 portions you will need about half a 500 gram packet of pasta (about 8 ounces). Now I know all pasta shapes taste the same, but it does make a difference as to which shape you use. If you choose to use a shell-shaped pasta you’ll find the shells pick up lots of the yummy filling with every forkful. The filling also attaches itself nicely to the twirly ridged pasta that I’ve used here.

The next thing is the salmon. I used a small 160g (6 ounce) can of salmon, which I drained into a jug and then flaked. Some of this liquid will be used for flavouring the dressing to get extra salmon flavour into the salad. If you don’t have a can of salmon you could use flaked leftover cooked salmon instead.

I always keep a jar of smoked whole red peppers in the cupboard. They are delicious served cold as part of a meze platter, and I like to add them to things like bolognese or lasagne. The size jar that I use is 480g (about 16 oz) and it holds roughly 6 large whole peppers. For this salad, I used two peppers and chopped them into about 2cm pieces.

The third ingredient is a small can (230g or about 8 oz) sweetcorn kernels, which is drained and the liquid discarded. If you prefer, you can substitute the sweetcorn for peas.

Once these three ingredients have been prepared, you will end up with roughly 1 cup of each.

For the dressing you will need equal quantities of mayonnaise and sour cream which you mix together with 2 tablespoons of the reserved salmon liquid and 1 teaspoon of dried dill. You could use fresh dill if you have some in the fridge, but you will need about 1 tablespoon of fresh dill, finely chopped.

Assemble the salad

Once you’ve prepared all the ingredients, it takes only minutes to assemble the salmon pasta salad.

Place the still warm pasta in a serving bowl. Mixing the salad while the pasta is still warm allows all the flavours to amalgamate. Add the salmon, corn and peppers and mix to combine.

Mix the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl and pour over the salad. Mix through and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

This dish is best served chilled, so cover the bowl with a lid or a layer of clingfilm, and place in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

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Can I make this salad in advance?

Absolutely. The flavours of this salmon and red pepper pasta salad improve with standing. You can prepare the salad (without adding the parsley) and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley just before serving.

Can I freeze this dish?

The short answer to this is no!

While the ingredients themselves can all be individually frozen they will not freeze well once combined. The salad will draw water as it defrosts and you will be left with a watery, unappetising salad.

What can I serve with this salad?

The salad itself will make a great lunch, served with a slice of seeded Irish soda bread or crusty wholemeal soda bread.

I like to serve this salmon salad as a side dish with a barbeque!

Of course, you could also just eat it by itself. It contains 4 of the 5 main food groups – carbohydrates, vegetables, dairy and protein. The only thing lacking is fruit! Why not serve it with a slice of lemon to squeeze over the top – that would go perfectly with the salmon.

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