Replicating a restaurant-style delicacy, today's stuffed salmon recipe is actually really simple to prepare at home. It comprises tender, juicy pan-seared salmon fillets with a gooey spinach and cream cheese filling. Ideal for a scrumptious and satisfying evening!
Is Stuffed Salmon Healthy?
Yes, it is. Stuffed salmon is not only convenient and laden with flavor but is also a great source of nutrients.
Salmon is a protein-rich fish that’s packed with omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to have many beneficial effects on the human body including reducing the risk of certain diseases such as heart disease as well as improving skin, eye health, and cognitive functions. Protein is required for many functions in the body, including muscle development, tissue repair, and the production of enzymes and hormones.
Our stuffed salmon also contains spinach and is served with asparagus: These greens provide additional fiber and texture to the meal.
In terms of nutritional profile, each serving of our stuffed salmon contains 502 calories, 10.6 g saturated fat, and 516 mg sodium. These values align with our healthy eating guidelines, guaranteeing a meal that is both nutritious and healthy.
Ingredients for Stuffed Salmon
- Salmon
In this dish, salmon fillets are packed with a creamy filling and seasoned with paprika and cajun seasoning. Pan-fried, the stuffed fillets are then served with steamed asparagus and side dishes of choice.
For this stuffed salmon, you should only use thick salmon fillets. Leaving more space to create a pocket for the filling, they make stuffing a whole lot easier.
You can use any variety of salmon available in your supermarket, farmed or wild, as long as it is sufficiently thick. You may also leave the skin on or request that the seafood counter remove it for you; whatever suits your palate.
- The creamy filling:
Our filling mixture includes cooked spinach, salt, garlic powder, parmesan cheese, pistachio, cream cheese, lemon juice, and whole milk.
To achieve the required appearance and flavor, we combine cream cheese with shredded parmesan. The Parmesan imparts a salty, nutty flavor to the filling, while the cream cheese provides binding characteristics. You may use cheddar, mozzarella, swiss, or any other cheese of your choice in place of the parmesan.
How to Make Stuffed Salmon
This decadent stuffed salmon recipe brings you an easy method for preparing an exquisite, restaurant-style dinner in minutes in the comfort of your own home kitchen. The following are the steps involved:
Step 1: Cook the asparagus.
Step 2: Cook the spinach.
Step 3: Fish out the spinach and cool it down.
Step 4: Squeeze excess liquid out of the spinach.
Step 5: Finely chop the spinach.
Step 6: Make the spinach and cream cheese filling.
Step 7: Use a knife to make a slit in the salmon filets to create pockets.
Step 8: Season the outside and inside of the salmon fillets with spices.
Step 9: Stuff the salmon pockets with the filling.
Step 10: Pan-fry the stuffed salmon filets over medium heat skin-side down.
Step 11: Flip.
Step 12: Garnish with chopped parsley.
Step 13: Serve hot alongside the cooked asparagus.
Tips for Making Stuffed Salmon
We believe our stuffed salmon isn't too much of a deal to prepare. Still, here are a few rules of thumb to ensure success:
- Always run your hand over the surface of the salmon before prepping it to ensure that all pin bones have been removed. This is normally already done for packaged or frozen salmon. However, if you’re getting your salmon fresh from a local fishmonger, you can request that the bones be removed for you.
- Before cooking, pat the fillets dry using a paper towel to eliminate extra moisture.
- When slicing the salmon fillets to create pockets, ensure that the slits are made exactly in the center of each fillet so that the top and bottom parts are the same thickness.
- When flipping the salmon, use a wooden spoon to support the salmon's tops.
How to Store And Reheat Stuffed Salmon
To store and reheat:
To store leftover stuffed salmon, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 day. For longer storage, place it in the freezer and it should last for up to 2 months.
To reheat, first, transfer the filets from the freezer to the fridge overnight to defrost. On the day of serving, place the salmon fillets onto a baking sheet, loosely wrap them with tin foil, then bake at 350 degrees F in the oven until heated through.
To make ahead:
The cream cheese filling can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. When you're ready to cook, allow it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to soften, making it easier to spread when stuffing the salmon pockets.
What To Serve With Stuffed Salmon
To make a feast of this flavor-packed stuffed salmon, our recommended accompaniments are as follows:
- Air Fryer Potato Wedges: Our air fryer potato wedges taste exactly like your favorite restaurant's fried wedges — only considerably crispier and with significantly less fat! Crisp on the outside and delicate on the inside, these potato wedges come with attractive crisp edges and precisely seasoned flavors. They are unquestionably the ideal accompaniment to our tasty stuffed salmon.
- Honey And Lemon Juice: We added a touch of freshness to our main dish by pairing it with our honey and lemon juice. The drink rounds off our meal, creating a healthful yet simple weeknight dinner.
Less Elaborate Salmon Ideas
Standing out among our archive is this recipe, featuring pan-grilled salmon and a quick avocado-tomato salad. We pulled it together in around 20 minutes, prepping included, and its flavor is just on point.
This salmon Meuniere isn’t exactly non-elaborate, but it’s pretty rewarding. The potatoes are basically cooked in the microwave, and the fish just needs to be floured beforehand. It’s buttery and super homey.
Stuffed Salmon Recipe
Replicating a restaurant-style delicacy, today's stuffed salmon recipe is actually really simple to prepare at home. It comprises tender, juicy pan-seared salmon filets with a gooey spinach and cream cheese filling. Ideal for a scrumptious and satisfying evening!
- cook TIME 40 mins
- prep TIME 5 mins
- total TIME 45 mins
- COURSE Main Course
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 504 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 26 ozboneless salmon (equals 4 fillets)
- 2 cupswater
- 12 ozasparagus
- 2 ozspinach (chopped)
- 0.3 tspsalt
- 0.5 tspgarlic powder
- 0.3 ozshredded parmesan cheese
- 1 ozpistachio
- 5 ozcream cheese
- 1 tsplemon juice
- 1 fl ozwhole milk
- 1 tsppaprika
- 1 tspCajun seasoning
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 2 tbspparsley (chopped)
INSTRUCTIONS
In a shallow pan, heat 2 cups water to boiling point. Cook 12 oz asparagus for 3 minutes until soft. Fish them out, drain, and set aside.
Continue by adding 2 oz spinach to the boiling pan and cook to tender (about 30 seconds).
Fish out the spinach and transfer it to a large bowl filled with cool water to cool it down.
Squeeze any excess liquid out of the spinach and discard the liquid.
Place the spinach on a cutting board. Finely chop it into small pieces.
Make the spinach and cream cheese filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped spinach with 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 0.25 oz shredded parmesan cheese, 1 oz pistachio, 5 oz cream cheese, 1 tsp lemon juice, and 1 fl oz whole milk.
With each salmon filet, use a knife to make a slit in the middle to create a pocket — be careful not to cut all the way through to the other side of the fillet. Repeat with all 4 filets (26 oz salmon).
Season both the outside and inside of the salmon fillets with 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp Cajun seasoning.
Stuff the salmon pockets with the spinach and cream cheese filling.
In the same shallow pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the stuffed salmon fillets skin side down and cook until crispy.
Flip the salmon fillets and continue to cook until golden. It takes 12 minutes to cook both sides of the salmon.
Garnish with 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley.
Serve the stuffed salmon hot, alongside the cooked asparagus and side dishes of choice.
NUTRITION
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
Emily Rogers, MPH, RDN
Nutrition Reviewer