Seared Salmon Carbonara with Arugula, Walnuts and Farro Cavatappi

By Heather Meyer

I know some will completely freak out at me using the term carbonara for this dish as it does not contain any pork, but the saucy mixture of eggs and cheese is dreamy, so I will roll with the punches. Adding the arugula and crunch of the walnuts gives it more brain boost, and the omega 3’s in Wild Salmon is incomparable to taking a pill any day. Whole grain pasta is always a good choice, and the pasta from Dumpling & Strand use local sourced and milled grains when possible and they cook up super-fast! Share your photos of this dish with #WeeklyMarketMeal and #MillCityCooks. Serves 6.

Ingredients

1 ½ lb. Wild Run Salmon, deboned, skin on or off–Your call (I like the skin on, you really can eat it!)
2 packages (18 oz.) Dumpling and Strand Farro Cavatappi (or other whole grain pasta)
2 bunches arugula, washed and rough chopped (other greens work well too)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup toasted walnuts, rough chopped
3 egg yolks (free range, fresh as possible)
½ cup Shepherd’s Way Friesago, grated (or parmesan cheese), plus more for finishing
3 Tablespoons chopped parsley (or whatever you have, we are breaking the rules here anyways)
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

Meanwhile, season the salmon with salt and pepper. Get a large sauté pan hot, add 1 tbsp. of neutral oil (grapeseed, sunflower) and add the salmon and cook on high heat just until barely cooked through (about 5 minutes). Flip once if needed, but do not overcook. Remove salmon onto a plate and set aside.

In the same pan, add 3 tbsp olive oil and bring to medium high heat. Add chopped garlic and cook 1 minute. Add arugula and remove from heat.

Grab a large bowl that everything will be tossed in and add the 3 egg yolks (save whites for something else). Add the cheese and whisk well. Place bowl in a warm spot so it is not too cool.

*This is where things go quick! Add pasta to boiling water, and stir gently to keep from sticking. Follow package instructions for cooking time. Do not overcook! When pasta is done, reserve ½ c. pasta water and strain. Quickly add to the egg/cheese mixture off heat and stir until eggs are set, but still loose. Add more pasta water if too thick. Add the arugula and stir. Add the parsley and lots of fresh cracked black pepper.

Serve pasta/arugula into bowls, top with salmon, walnuts, reserved cheese and more herbs if desired.