I love recreating restaurant style dishes in my home and sharing them with my friends. This easy to make Stuffed Salmon with Cream Cheese and Crabmeat will wow your family and friends.
How to make Restaurant Style Stuffed Salmon –
Since discovering Northwest Wild Caught Salmon earlier this year, I’ve been having fun finding different ways to prepare and enjoy this lovely fish. I was lucky enough to pick up some nice sockeye salmon at Sam’s Club.
This week Stuffed Salmon was on the menu at home, and I decided to try something a little different with the stuffing using cream cheese in my stuffing mix.
Lisa and I had eaten at a seafood restaurant in Madeira Beach on one of our road trips and they had a similar stuffing with a grouper we had for dinner. So I thought I’d give it a try with salmon. Of course there are many delicious ways to use this flavorful salmon. My Salmon Cakes and Blackened Salmon Salad are always on the menu rotation at home.
When I made it the first time on Around the Kitchen Table, I used whipped cream cheese. I found that to be a mistake as it did not hold up as well as I wanted. I made the Stuffed Salmon again using regular cream cheese and also added in shredded mozzarella which gave the dish a better overall appearance and taste.
My Stuffed Salmon is a great way to turn an ordinary night into a special occasion and is great for entertaining as it can be made up ahead of time and cooked before your guests arrive. You may also try stuffing a whole side of salmon and roasting it for a buffet. It will look spectacular!
I love recreating restaurant style dishes in my home and sharing them with my friends. This easy to make Stuffed Salmon with Cream Cheese and Crabmeat will wow your family and friends.
- 4 salmon fillets
- 8 ounces of crabmeat drained well I used claw meat
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened use regular not whipped
- 1 large egg whipped
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 cups baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon roasted red peppers diced
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or your favorite cheese
- 1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- cook spinach in a little bit of water till fully cooked, take off heat and allow to cool
- When spinach is cool squeeze out all of the water from the spinach (excess water will make the stuffing loose)
- in a mixing bowl add in the softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, egg and old bay seasoning. Whip together until well blended.
- fold in the spinach, roasted peppers, shredded mozzarella and crab meat (make sure crab meat has been well drained, squeezing out any excess water). Mix gently and if mixture is too loose you may add a little bread crumb to tighten it up.
- place salmon on baking sheet and season with salt and pepper
- portion stuffing out and place on top of salmon fillet, then sprinkle breadcrumbs on top.
- pour a little water on the baking dish to help keep the salmon moist while its cooking
- cook salmon at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes. salmon should be done but not overcooked
- serve with your favorite sides
Dizzy Lizzy says
Hi, I made this for Christmas last year and it was a massive hit with everyone- including my 2 & 4 yr old. I was asked for the recipe by my in-laws who’ve also made it and love it. Thank you. I’m planning on doing this for a large family gathering and was wondering how far in advance I can make it? I was wondering if I could make the stuffing on the Friday and just assemble it all for cooking on the Sunday…should I be thinking of a different recipe?
Chef Dennis Littley says
That will work. You can actually assemble the day before if you like. In the restaurant, I would make up 40-50 and sell them over two days if they didn’t sell out on the first day.
Dizzy Lizzy says
Awesome, thanks for the extremely prompt reply 🙂
Grace says
I ran across this recipe, and I’m going to be making it for a few friends next week. It caught my eye because of the cream cheese in the stuffing.
My question is this; can it be cooked on a gas grill? For how long?
Chef Dennis Littley says
hi Grace
you should be able to grill this dish, I would sear it on the heated part of the grill then move it to indirect heat with the lid closed to finish cooking. I would also put a layer of foil down under it when its cooking on the indirect heat.
As for time since I’ve never cooked it this way, I’m not sure and there are a lot of variables. I would check the internal temperature to make sure its reached a minimum of 165 degrees, then it would be fully cooked.
Grace Boyd says
Thank you very much, your advice is greatly appreciated!!
Grace
Judy says
Hi Dennis, I have 37 people over for thanksgiving and need another main meal like this one. In order to have enough for everyone do you think using two whole long strips of salmon ( Costco style) on top of each other for a thicker cut with your stuffing in the miidle would work ? Instead of butterflying just one? I could also butterfly both instead and present them side by side.
Chef Dennis Littley says
hi Judy
If you’re buying two sides I would just make them separately with the crabmeat stuffing on top and cut them into 1 – 2 inch portions for service. Garnish with some chopped scallions and chopped parsley with some lemon wedges around the platter.
There is no need to butterfly them or double up.
Sarah says
Oh this looks like a great recipe to try. I love salmon, cream cheese and crab, so this is a winning combination. Will be giving this a try the next time I can get my hands on salmon and crab meat.
Bernabe gonzalez says
great reciept chef DENNIS!!👍👍👍..Made your dish the other night ..followed your instructions..came out great only thing i left out the cheese….love the cream cheese stuffing…my neighbor ask me to make her one also….i did the whole fillet split down the middle butterfly stuffed and baked..lemon optional…👍👍👍👍..well definitely make this dish for get togethers…
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed the salmon and thanks for leaving such a great rating!
Ashley says
I absolutely love this dish when I am trying to make dinner a little more special. It’s a family favorite loved by us all which is rare with 5 kids. Everyone from my 6 yr old to my picky 16 yr old enjoy this. Thanks!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I love getting comments like this Ashley, thank you so much for taking the time to try my recipe and for making it a family favorite in your home!
Jason says
Wow! I made this for my parents & my daughter last night. They loved it & so did I! I actually made some extra stuffing to stuff some very large portobello mushrooms.I just left out the spinach, red peppers & old bay. carefully cut the tops off & Stuffed them. Put a light coat of olive oil on them & cooked them about 3/4 of the time as I did the salmon but on the same baking dish. Thanks so much chef Dennis! It was incredible!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for letting me know you tried my salmon recipe Jason! I’m very happy to hear you and your family enjoyed it. It’s one our favorites and I bet those mushrooms were delicious!
Mike Krulak says
Chef Dennis, I want to make the stuffing with shrimp instead of crab. I bought medium size shrimp, raw. Do I first steam and then cut the shrimp into smaller pieces for the stuffing mix? I wish to make this for Xmas Eve dinner. Thanks. Merry Christmas.
Chef Dennis Littley says
hi Mike
Yes steam or saute the shrimp first just keep them a little on the underdone side. It would probably be best to cut them up a bit to make them easier to eat, unless they’re already bite size.
Good luck and Merry Christmas!
Veronica L Alvarez says
This recipe was absolutely delicious
! No modifications needed. Thanks for sharing .
Chef Dennis Littley says
Now that’s what I like to hear!
Debra says
Chef, this recipe is so delicious, easy, and adaptable. I made the dish tonight with just caught steelhead salmon and our Oregon bay shrimp, instead of dungeness crab. Worked beautifully and everyone loved it. Many thanks for sharing this keeper recipe.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thank you Debra, you’re version with the shrimp sounds delicious and I’m happy to hear you found a good use for your fresh caught salmon!
Ty Brumfield says
Hi Chef, you mentioned wrapping it in puff pastry before. That sounds really good. Is there a recipe for that on your blog somewhere? What kind of sauce would you suggest to put on top of it?
Thanks.
Chef Dennis Littley says
hi Ty
I don’t have this particular dish with puff dough but I do have a Chicken breast stuffed with crab imperial that will give you an idea of how it should go. https://www.askchefdennis.com/stuffed-chicken-breast-in-my-restaurant-kitchen/
I would cook the stuffed salmon about 1/2 way done, let it cool off a bit then wrap it in the dough to finish. You just have to watch the bottom of the dough isn’t too thick, otherwise, it won’t cook all the way and the bottom will be doughy.
I like a light dijon mustard sauce with a little fresh dill for this type of dish. But a beurre blanc would work too.
Ty Brumfield says
Sounds great. Thank you chef and thank you for all the hard work that you do for this blog. I really enjoy reading it and look forward learning new skills.
Chef Dennis Littley says
It’s my pleasure Ty and thanks for your support!
Stewart Denham says
Would love to try the receipt, but this sire is not mobile friendly, keeps jumping to the contents, when you cluck on jumpro-Second to receive an ad covers the ingredients.pl
Chef Dennis Littley says
hi Stewart – try hitting read more at the bottom of the short text. It will give you a full view of the recipe at that point
Lisa says
Can the stuffing be made ahead of time?
Chef Dennis Littley says
Yes Lisa, you can actually set up the whole stuffed fish ready to bake.
Joe says
Awesome recipe chef. Thank you
Liza says
We enjoyed this dish last night. We will definitely make it again. We added about a teaspoon or two of lemon nice to the mixture and came out great. We also naked it covered then broiled the last 5 minutes to brown the top. It came out looking gorgeous.
Chef Dennis Littley says
hi Liza
sounds like you had fun with the recipe and made it even more delicious! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Zama Mbatha says
Hi Dennis, this recipe sounds like exactly what I need to dazzle my family-in-law with on my first Christmas cooking for them. I was thinking of crusting mine with cashew nuts.
Chef Dennis Littley says
It’s pretty easy to make and is definitely a show stopper. I’ve never used cashews before but it sounds like an interesting adaptation.
Have fun with dinner and Happy Holidays!
Miklos Font says
Dear Dennis your receipe sounds great, I intend to do this for Christmas eve, I have a whole salmon, unfortunately farmed, in UK or Norway, I fancy having it wrapped whole in puff pastery, and stuff the cavaty of the salmon, i think I’ll mix the breadcruns in the stuffing, would you have any tips for the pastery, should I oil it or dust it with flour on the inside, alse baking time? my fish is about 2Kg
kind regards
MIklos
Pam says
My husband and I do low carb. I used to buy the Sam’s crab stuffed salmon. I am going to leave out the bread crumbs and this will be a great low carb recipe. Can’t wait to make it my mouth is watering just reading it!!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do Pam!
Slotown says
I made this last night for my wife. She’s the big fish lover, me not so much. But this was really good. My internet went down so I had to make do with my memory, addled as it is. I forgot the egg and the red pepper. Still turned out great. My salmon came from Sam’s. It was pretty thick so I took the liberty to butterfly it down the middle. Nice effect.
I cooked mine on a charcoal grill, with offset heat. The smoke was just right.
My wife asked me to make this for our anniversary coming up in November.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed the salmon, and feel free to add your own touch to the recipe. My wife doesn’t like red peppers so I usually leave them out for her. Have a Happy Aniversary!
Debby LePino says
This was soooooooo good!! Made last night for my husband, he can’t wait for the left overs this evening! Thank you!!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks so much for letting me know Debby! I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed the dish
Brenda says
I love all your recipes Chef! I work in a small bar & grill in Ohio and may just make this for the boss tonight! We have a wonderful supplier that brings in fresh fish and I have some crabmeat available. Yum!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks Brenda! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Eric says
I made this for Mother’s Day and it was delicious! Thanks for the receipe
Eric
Chef Dennis Littley says
You’re very welcome Eric! I’m happy to hear that it was a hit.
Christine says
This was a big hit tonight! Defiantly will make again! No modifications really, just added a couple of fresh fresh lemon squeeze to the water when baking in oven!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for the feedback Christine, I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed the salmon!
Coco says
Delicious…my family love it! Chef Den thank you much for the recipe.?
Chef Dennis Littley says
You’re very welcome and thank you for the feedback!
Christiane - Taking On Magazines says
I’ve never been a big salmon person, but I think I could change my mind with this dish, Dennis. It looks phenomenal. And yeah, I can see why the whipped cream cheese wouldn’t have held up very well. Good call to swap it out this time.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Hi Christiane
I’ve never been a salmon eater at all and the northwest coho changed my mind. You can always use another fish with the stuffing instead of the salmon.
cheers
Dennis
Larry says
I’ve never seen a recipe for stuffed salmon but this sounds delicious.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Hi Larry
thanks for stopping by and the salmon was delicious! In my restaurant days I stuffed it in the middle and use to wrap it in puff pastry.
Dennis
Diane Roark says
Chef,
I am originally from Mobile, Alabama. I love a good crab meat stuffing. I also truly enjoy salmon and all its wonderful health benefits. YUM!
Thank for sharing,
Diane Roark
Chef Dennis Littley says
hi Diane
you’re in crab meat heaven in Mobile! I have a hard time finding fresh crabmeat in Orlando which perplexes me since were so close to the gulf and atlantic!
Thanks for stopping by!
Dennis
Mary Frances says
Yum! I love salmon. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe!
Chef Dennis Littley says
you’re welcome Mary Frances, thanks for stopping by!
Trey Barron says
I substituted steelhead trout for the salmon and used a cajun seasoning with a mozzarella Parmesan blend and I cooked it on the grill it turned out great l will be trying it again with other seasoning five stars
Chef Dennis Littley says
sounds like it was dee-licious! Thanks for trying my recipe and making it your own!