Description
This 30-Minute Melt-In-Your-Mouth Crab Stuffed Salmon is an elegant and flavorful seafood dish featuring fresh salmon fillets generously stuffed with a rich, creamy crab mixture. Perfect for a quick yet luxurious dinner, the salmon is baked to tender perfection with a golden crab topping seasoned with Old Bay and fresh herbs. Serve with lemon wedges and a side of seasonal vegetables for a restaurant-quality meal at home.
Ingredients
Scale
Salmon:
- 5 salmon fillets, 6 oz each (skin removed)
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp Freshly ground black pepper
Crab Mixture:
- 8 oz fresh lump crab meat
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 Tbsp creme fraiche (or mayonnaise)
- 2 small cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbsp)
- 2 Tbsp chopped parsley (plus more for garnish)
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tsp lemon zest (from 1 medium lemon)
- 3 Tbsp crushed Ritz crackers (about 8 crackers) or 3 Tbsp Panko breadcrumbs
For Serving:
- Lemon wedges
- Thinly sliced chives
Instructions
- Make the crab mixture: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, beaten egg, creme fraiche or mayonnaise, minced garlic, chopped parsley, Old Bay seasoning, and lemon zest. Stir thoroughly until smooth. Gently fold in the lump crab meat and crushed Ritz crackers or Panko crumbs until just combined. Set aside.
- Prepare the salmon: Pat each salmon fillet dry with paper towels. Using a paring knife, carefully cut a long slit along the top center of each fillet to create a pocket, keeping the sides intact (about ½ to ¾ inch on each side). Season both sides of the salmon liberally with Kosher salt and black pepper.
- Stuff the salmon: Evenly divide the crab mixture between the five salmon fillets, stuffing the filling carefully into each pocket. Use about one-third to one-half cup of the crab mixture per fillet. Place the stuffed fillets on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the salmon: Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake until the salmon reaches an internal temperature of 120°F for medium-rare doneness, approximately 15 to 18 minutes. Optionally, broil for a minute or two at the end to achieve a golden-brown topping.
- Garnish and serve: Sprinkle the baked salmon with additional chopped parsley or thinly sliced chives. Serve immediately with fresh lemon wedges. Enjoy on its own or pair with lemon beurre blanc sauce and your favorite side dishes.
Notes
- The crab-stuffed salmon with cream cheese creates an effortlessly luxurious dinner that tastes like a dish from a fine dining restaurant.
- The creamy crab filling is combined in one bowl and generously stuffed inside fresh salmon fillets.
- Bake the dish until the salmon is tender, flaky, and the crab topping is golden and bubbling.
- For a complete meal, serve with crispy potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 salmon fillet
- Calories: 425 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 622 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 46 g
- Cholesterol: 173 mg
