Lasagna with salmon and broccoli rabe is a delicious seafood first course, light and with a delicate flavor. They are very easy, great to prepare during holidays or as a Sunday lunch, but especially to prepare for Easter lunch. The béchamel, scented with fresh chives, is very delicate and does not cover the flavor of either the salmon or the broccoli rabe. The chives give the dish a very pleasant and fresh aroma.
Tip: use fresh pasta sheets because they cook quickly, especially if we use raw salmon. This way, we avoid the salmon, whose meat also cooks in a few minutes, from becoming tough and dry.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 9 oz fresh pasta sheets for lasagna
- 9 oz salmon (fresh or canned)
- 1.65 lbs broccoli rabe
- 2 oz smoked salmon (optional)
- to taste fine salt
- 3 cups milk
- 2.5 tbsps butter
- 2.5 tbsps all-purpose flour (or cornstarch)
- to taste fine salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste nutmeg
- 1 pinch dried chives or 10 strands of fresh
Tools
- 1 Baking pan
Steps
Drain the salmon perfectly from oil or preserving water; if using fresh salmon, be sure to remove the outer skin and bones with tweezers, and in this case, add it raw to the lasagna.
The salmon, whether raw or canned, should be cut into pieces.
Blanch the broccoli rabe in salted water. They should be very tender, and the stem almost falling apart. I blanch them for 8 minutes, starting from the first boil. Drain them and set aside.
Prepare the béchamel. In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. As soon as it is melted, add the flour and stir with a whisk to create a sort of cream, which we will cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds. Then, add the milk all at once and continue stirring. Season with salt, pepper, and add the chives. Cook over low heat until the béchamel begins to thicken (with this amount of flour, the béchamel will remain fluid). At the end of cooking, add finely chopped smoked salmon for an explosion of taste and aroma.
I recommend pouring the béchamel over the lasagna while it’s still hot; this will further shorten the cooking time.
Assemble our lasagna with salmon and broccoli rabe. On the bottom of the baking pan, place a few tablespoons of béchamel. Lay down the first layer of sheets, add salmon pieces, crumbled broccoli rabe, some béchamel and proceed with the second layer, until you finish the ingredients and pasta layers. Moisten the last layer with the remaining béchamel, decorate with more salmon and broccoli rabe pieces, and bake for about 15 minutes, on the lowest rack, at 392°F.
