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.
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. It was such an easy and delicious way to make salmon it’s become a regular addition to our home dinner options.
What type of salmon can you use for this recipe?
I used Coho Salmon for this recipe and always try to find Pacific Salmon for my recipes.
You can, of course, use any salmon you have available in your markets. Sockeye (red) and King (chinook) are two of my other favorites.
Atlantic Salmon is more plentiful and usually less expensive and can also be used. I prefer wild-caught fish to farmed seafood.
*Farmed salmon is much higher in fat, containing slightly more omega-3s, much more omega-6 and three times the amount of saturated fat. It also has 46% more calories — mostly from fat. Conversely, wild salmon is higher in minerals, including potassium, zinc and iron.
What type of cream cheese should I use for the stuffing?
The first time I made this recipe I used whipped cream cheese. I found that to be a mistake as it did not hold up as well as I thought it should. 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.
Can I use this topping with other fish?
You sure can. This topping would work well on just about any white flaky fish. Flounder, cod, and halibut would also work well. The only fish I wouldn’t try to stuff would be tuna or swordfish.
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!
Can I use other cheese in the stuffing?
I added shredded mozzarella because of its binding properties, but cheddar, swiss or your favorite cheese could be used instead of the mozzarella.
If you love Salmon, you might also like these recipes:
- Grilled Cedar Planked Salmon
- Mediterranean Style Salmon
- Blackened Salmon Salad
- Marinated Grilled Salmon
Stuffed Salmon with Cream Cheese and Crabmeat
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- cook spinach in a little bit of water till fully cooked, take off the 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 the mixture is too loose you may add a little bread crumb to tighten it up.
- place salmon on a 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 it's cooking
- cook salmon at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes. salmon should be done but not overcooked
- serve with your favorite sides
Nutrition
More recipes from my site
Lobster Stuffed with Crab Imperial : The perfect date night dinner- Baltimore Clambake – An Easy to Prepare Restaurant Style Dinner
- Ginger Garlic Pan Roasted Swordfish- A Restaurant Classic
- Shrimp Étouffée Recipe for down home Louisiana Cookin’
- Blackened Salmon with a Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
- Maryland Jumbo Lump Crab Imperial
Billy says
Could this recipe be changed for a grill. Along with actual stuffing the salmon.
Chef Dennis Littley says
you could place the stuffing in a center pocket of the salmon (it won’t take as much) and cook it on the grill. It’s going to get very messy if you aren’t really careful. I would probably do it on a pan on top of the grill to make it easier to turn and keep it more stable.
Tiffany says
I love this dish, especially with the crab stuffing on top. I used wild king salmon. I was wondering if you have you ever tried making this in a puffed pastry (salmon Wellington style)?
Chef Dennis Littley says
hi Tiffany
I actually just posted a Salmon Wellington type dish called a Coulibiac of Salmon -> https://www.askchefdennis.com/coulibiac-of-salmon/
I used to do a crab imperial stuffed salmon (with the stuffing in the middle of the salmon) wrapped in puff dough. It was a big hit at the restaurants I worked at.
Joe c. says
Hi
I’m going to try your cream cheese crabmeat salmon
Can I stuff the actual salmon rather than place stuffing on top of it
Thanks
Also I have 2 small lobster tails I would like to stuff any special trick to it
Joe
Chef Dennis Littley says
hi Joe
yes you can definitely make a pocket and stuff the salmon. You probably won’t get as much in as you would on top. Season the top of the salmon and bake the same way as in the recipe.
If you want to stuff the tails with the same stuffing just mound it on top and cook the same as the salmon.
Tanya says
I tried your recipe and made the dish Salmon stuffed with crabmeat for my fiance’s Birthday. The dish was spectacular! To hear him while eating saying mmm. This is Delicious! Thank you I will continue following your recipe’s. We truly enjoyed it.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for the great review and comment Tanya, I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed my recipe. I hope you find more to try!
Becca says
Hi! These are delicious by the way. I was just wondering if these can be frozen if they’re vacuum sealed and frozen appropriately. I usually just eat them over a 2-3 day time frame because I wasn’t sure if they could be frozen.
Chef Dennis Littley says
hi Becca
you can freeze these, but with seafood you risk overcooking them. I would suggest freezing before you cook them if you’d like to save them for another day.
ALISA JOHNSON says
Because of the cream cheese, how would you reheat this dish?
Chef Dennis Littley says
The cream cheese is bound to the other ingredients, so reheat covered in the oven with some water in the pan, or stovetop in a covered pan with water to create steam and keep the fish moist.
Joseph Gerard says
I have the prepare a Coho Salmon in the refrigerator, ready to bake.
It will be there overnight for tomorrow’s dinner.
Instead of using Just crab, I also added finely diced Lobster and Shrimp. Par-cooked each.
Substituted Smoke white cheddar and Gouda cheese.
The Salmon was about 1.5 lbs, fairly thin, so I just butterflied the thicker meat. I piped in the stuffing to keep the thin meat from tearing. Rolled into a log. Piped the remaining filling on top. Worked quite well.
We’ll see how it tastes tomorrow.
Thank you for the great ‘core’ recipe!
Stella says
Easy to make, and can be adjusted to add lobster Char and shrimp as a variety.
Loved it
Amy says
Hi, I have a whole fish (wild caught in Alaska and currently frozen). Any thoughts on how to adapt this recipe for a whole fish?
Chef Dennis Littley says
You can most certainly roast each half with the stuffing mounded on top of the length of each side. Season the sides well with sea salt and black pepper before adding the stuffing and place the sides into the oven on a sheet pan with a little water on the pan. Cooking times shouldn’t be much longer than normal you just want to check the stuffing with a meat thermometer to make sure it reached 165 degrees. It should make a spectacular presentation.
Andrew Smith says
Great idea which I enhanced by wrapping this in puff pastry and baking at 400 deg for 30 minutes. Some pink peppercorns added a je ne sais quoi to the flavors. Tried it by using shrimp instead of crab and this proved to leave the salmon flavor as dominant over the crab which kind of took over the flavor profile.
Chef Dennis Littley says
sounds like a delicious adaptation Andrew, thanks for sharing and for the great review!
Justin says
So tasty!! Just like the description says, this is a restaurant quality dish that can be easily made at home! The entire family loved it!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my recipe Justin and thanks for the great review!
Kenneth Fechtler says
Fallow the recipe as written. Came out great. Going to try cod next.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe, Kenneth, thanks for the great review!
Swathi says
This looks delicious I haven’t tried stuffed salmon with cream cheese. Need to try my son love salmon
Brianna says
This sounds fabulous! I never thought about combining the two, I’d love to try it!
rika says
That looks so good! I love Salmon and crab, what a great combination.
Rachel says
I haven’t had stuffed salmon before. This looks so fancy and I would love to try it.
Ann says
I must admit that this recipe has already wowed me. Salmon is always a good idea. And in combination with other ingredients it promises a real masterpiece on my dinner table tomorrow. Thank you for the detailed and original recipe, I will definitely try to cook this dish and be sure to enjoy it!
Rena says
I’ve never tried this but it looks absolutely delicious! Definitely saving this to try later on.
Kathy says
This recipe looks really delicious. I’ve never actually tried a stuffed salmon before. I’ll definitely have to give this recipe a try.
Jenn @ EngineerMommy says
This is such a gourmet meal. I love the combination of cheese and crabmeat inside salmon. This would be perfect for a party I’m hosting next weekend.
Lynndee says
Salmon is one of my faves, but I sure have never thought of preparing stuffed salmon. I bet that is delicious! Saved your recipe. Thanks!
Ruth I says
You are one of my most favorite chefs ever. This is such an incredible recipe. Great ingredients all in one plate.
Kita Bryant says
Not a huge fan of Salmon but this looks good. My kids love Salmon I wonder if I can get them to eat this
Pam says
This looks so delicious! I have always been a big fan of stuffed salmon and I am sure this would be no exception.
Sarah Bailey says
Oh my goodness this sounds like it would be absolutely incredible. I have to admit salmon is one of my favourite dishes and you can’t beat a bit of cream cheese to go with it. The crab sounds wonderful as an addition too !
Ice Cream n Sticky Fingers says
I wish that I enjoyed fish more but I rarely eat it. But this salmon with cream cheese and crabmeat sound delicious. I do enjoy crab and shrimp though.
Sue Reddel says
We would love this dish in our house. We’re always looking for new ways to prepare fish and this sounds perfect.
Amber Myers says
My husband and kids would love this! They are all about seafood. I wish I liked it, but sometimes I will make them seafood dishes.
1stopmom says
I love salmon but never had it stuffed before. My family really likes any food that is stuffed so I want to try to make this for them. And I will make sure to double check the cream cheese before I make it, lol.
Los Tweens and Teens says
This looks so good! Two of my favorite seafoods together in one dish I couldnt ask for more perfection!
Terri Steffes says
I was looking for a recipe to celebrate my friends’ homecoming next week. They have been away for a few months, so I wanted it to be special. I don’t need to look any further. This looks incredible.
robin rue says
This sounds like such a delicious treat for my taste buds. I am super excited to make this for my family!
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 🙂
Mary says
This was delicious but I am a single senior citizen and I made this and it was delicious. Only problem it was very filling and delicious. I couldn’t eat it all at once. Kept it 3 days in refridg. and have been eating it each day and still had some left over and feel terrible having to get rid of what was left. Really fantastic. Also, wanted to know if this could be cooked in the Airfryer as my daughter would love it.
Chef Dennis Littley says
It probably could be cooked in an air fryer. I’ve never used one so I wouldn’t know what to tell you. You can always make a half portion of the dish or trying freezing one portion uncooked. The crabmeat won’t be quite the same but the cream cheese will help keep it from breaking down.
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!