Start by preheating the oven to 400ºF and bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil while you prep the ingredients.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. It makes cleaning up a little easier.
Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place on the baking sheet, skin side down.
1 pound salmon fillet, salt & pepper
Roast for about 15 minutes until cooked through. Let it cool off enough to remove the skin without burning your fingers, and then break it into small pieces.
Cook the pasta using the cooking times on the package but check before it is scheduled to be done. You don't want to overcook the pasta. Be sure to reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water before draining it for the sauce.
8 ounces fettuccine
To Make the Sauce
Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the cream, then the reserved pasta water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. The cream will produce large bubbles, and that's OK. Continue cooking until the sauce starts to thicken. This should take 4 - 5 minutes.
½ cup heavy cream
Finish the Dish
Add the fettuccine to the sauté pan and then add the pecorino cheese. Toss the pasta with the sauce to coat it.
¾ cup pecorino cheese
Remove the pan from the heat and add the capers, chives, zest, and salmon. Carefully stir to combine, careful not to break up the salmon into tiny pieces.
Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste.
salt & pepper
Notes
I usually say serve immediately, and I'm sure you should with this dish, but I ate this meal about 35 minutes after Nell cooked it because of my workout and it was still delicious. So I served it with a glass of medium-bodied white wine.