Salmon Stuffed with Crab

I promise that this Stuffed Salmon Recipe is the fanciest but easiest recipe you’ll ever make at home. This elegant dinner could be ordered at a high-end restaurant, but it’s achievable for any home cook in less than 40 minutes!

This Easy Crab Stuffed Salmon Recipe is elegant but so simple.

Don’t you hate it when you try to make a fancy meal for a special occasion at home, and two hours later, you’re frazzled and your sink is overflowing with dishes?

This Crab Stuffed Salmon Recipe is NOT that. When I say it’s easily achievable for a novice home cook, I MEAN that.

If you can stir things together, chop some parsley, and make one simple cut with your knife, you’ve got this.

Ingredients for Stuffed Salmon with Crabmeat

• salmon – If you have a grocery store, butcher, or seafood market where you can specify that you need center-cut pieces, that’s ideal. You can use any variety of salmon you like best, whether that’s Atlantic salmon, sockeye salmon, or something else.
• cream cheese – this acts as a binder, and also adds creaminess. Light cream cheese works fine, too.
• egg – this also acts a binder, holding everything together.
• Dijon mustard – this adds a little kick of heat to the mixture. Whole grain Dijon is also good.
• mayonnaise – again, binder + creaminess.
• lemon zest – seafood and lemon are a match made in heaven, and I love zest because it packs a powerful, bright punch, even in small amounts.
• Old Bay seasoning – it’s not a (virtual) trip to the East Coast without some Old Bay! This seasoning mix includes celery salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and paprika. You can even make homemade Old Bay seasoning if you have a well-stocked spice cabinet.
• crabmeat – I used canned, lump crabmeat, but there are other options for this stuffed salmon with crabmeat. More on that below!
• panko breadcrumbs – I like these big, flaky breadcrumbs because they are so crunchy, but traditional breadcrumbs work just as well for this salmon stuffed with crab.
• Parmesan cheese – since this cheese is so salty, it really helps to season the mixture.
• parsley – I love the bright note that fresh herbs add to a seafood dish. Chives would also be great here. You can also use dried parsley – just reduce the amount to 1 tablespoon.

How to make Crab Stuffed Salmon

1. Preheat the oven and spray a rimmed baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Make your stuffing (more on this below).
3. Prepare your salmon fillets by cutting a slit down the center of each fillet, almost all the way down to the skin. Then, season the fish well with salt.
4. Use your fingers to hold the pocket you made in the fish open, and then use a small spoon or fork to pack the filling into the pocket. 
5. Some of the filling will likely need to be mounded on top of the fish, and that’s just fine.
6. After the fish is good and stuffed, sprinkle it with breadcrumbs and then lightly drizzle with olive oil. Add another sprinkle of Old Bay for good measure, then pop it into the oven.
7. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until the fish is cooked through, and it’s time to eat!

How to make Crab Stuffing for Salmon

1. Microwave the cream cheese 30 seconds or until it’s very soft.
2. Add the egg, mustard, mayo, lemon zest and Old Bay and whisk until everything is fully combined (a few lumps are OK).
3. Add the crabmeat, some breadcrumbs, Parmesan and parsley and use a spatula to just fold everything together gently, so you can keep the bigger pieces of crab intact.

How to cook Stuffed Salmon

You’ll be cooking the crab stuffed salmon on a rimmed baking pan. The rim is important so that any juices released from the salmon don’t leak off the sides of the pan.

How long to cook Stuffed Salmon

Stuffed salmon with crabmeat should take about 18 to 22 minutes to cook in a 350 degree F oven.

You want to make sure that the internal temperature of both the stuffing and the thickest part of the salmon reaches 145 degrees F.

How to serve this Crab-Stuffed Salmon Recipe

Each piece of this crab stuffed salmon is quite a large, restaurant-style portion. It’s a decadent treat, for sure.

In fact, if you’re a lighter eater, you could easily split one piece with somebody else, especially if you had some side dishes.

Most of the time, I’ll just do simple roasted potatoes and sauteed green beans. Mini Hasselback potatoes and balsamic asparagus are some of my other favorite side dishes for this crab-stuffed salmon recipe.

How to store Stuffed Salmon with Crabmeat

While stuffed salmon is best eaten immediately after it is baked, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 day.

Can you freeze stuffed salmon?

Again, this crab-stuffed salmon recipe is really best enjoyed freshly cooked, but if you need to freeze it, I suggest wrapping the cooked and cooled salmon in plastic wrap and foil before freezing for up to 2 months.

Can you reheat stuffed salmon?

Yes! To reheat, simply place the refrigerated or frozen stuffed salmon in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for about 20 to 25 minutes or until it is heated through.

Stuffed Salmon Recipe FAQs