Stuffed shells with salmon and saffron ricotta is a truly delicious baked fish dish. I’m starting to think of Christmas recipes, and I find this stuffed pasta perfect for Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas lunch, or New Year’s Day. Stuffed shells with salmon are prepared in just a few minutes; make the filling while the pasta cooks and stuff them. You can cook them right away or store them in the fridge or freezer if you want to prepare them in advance. I’ve added smoked salmon, ricotta, scamorza, and a bit of saffron béchamel (used for both the filling and gratin topping) which will make them creamy, gooey, and super flavorful, no fuss for a first course that will win over all your guests!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4-6 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 cups ricotta
- 10 oz jumbo pasta shells
- 7 oz smoked salmon
- 5 oz scamorza cheese
- 1.8 oz grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 sprig parsley
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- to taste chives
- 4 cups milk
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 1 packet saffron
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- to taste nutmeg
Steps
Stuffed shells with salmon, ricotta, and saffron are very simple and quick to prepare. First, cook the shells in salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes less than the package instructions, they should remain al dente.
Prepare the filling: in a bowl, place the ricotta (you can use either sheep’s or cow’s ricotta; I used the latter for its milder flavor), grated Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, salt, black pepper, chives, and give it a good mix. If the mixture seems a bit dry, soften it by adding a little milk.
Add the grated scamorza, smoked salmon pieces, and thoroughly combine all the ingredients.
Prepare the béchamel and season it with grated Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg, saffron, and mix well. Add 2-3 generous tablespoons of béchamel to the previously prepared filling.
Transfer the filling into a piping bag without a tip (or with a wide round tip) and fill all the al dente cooked and well-drained shells.
Place a bit of saffron béchamel on the bottom of an oven dish, arrange all the stuffed pasta, and cover them with the remaining béchamel.
Add a light sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese and bake the stuffed shells with salmon in a preheated oven at 392°F (200°C) for about 15 minutes, just enough to flavor and gratinate them.
Notes:
Stuffed shells with salmon can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days. You can also prepare them a day ahead. If you wish to keep them longer, store them in the freezer, then defrost and proceed with cooking. If you don’t want to add saffron, you can simply omit it.
Other baked pasta dishes HERE
More recipes with smoked salmon HERE
