Smoked Salmon Mac ‘N Cheese
Smoked salmon mac and cheese is one of those combinations that sounds indulgent and is — but it’s also one of the best ways to use up a portion of your salmon harvest that might otherwise sit in the freezer. The smokiness of the fish cuts through the richness of the béchamel in a way that plain mac and cheese never does, and the Gruyere brings a nuttiness that pairs naturally with the salmon’s depth of flavor.
This version is built around a proper béchamel base — butter, flour, hot milk — rather than a shortcut sauce. It takes an extra five minutes but the result is a silky, cohesive sauce that coats every piece of pasta instead of breaking into greasy puddles. The cast iron skillet finish gives you a crispy bread crumb top with a creamy interior, which is the whole point of baked mac and cheese.
If you don’t have smoked salmon on hand, hot-smoked sockeye works best here — the flakier texture holds up better than cold-smoked lox, which can get lost in the sauce. Leftover grilled salmon also works surprisingly well if you add a pinch of smoked paprika to compensate for the missing smokiness.
Oh – and we are using a Camp Chef cast iron skillet here.
Smoked Salmon Mac N Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried macaroni
- 1 1/2 cups milk 2% or whole
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 ounces Gruyere cheese grated
- 3 ounces Parmesan grated
- 2 ounces mozzarella cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups smoked salmon broken into 1-2 inch pieces
- 1 cup coarse bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water for 6 minutes. Drain well.
- Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. In another saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes while whisking. While still whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Remove from heat, add the cheeses, salt and pepper. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Gently toss with salmon.
- Transfer pasta mixture to a greased baking dish or deep baking dish (a cast iron skillet is idea). Combine bread crumbs with basil and sprinkle over the top of the pasta. Place in a 400 degree preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is evenly browned.