Flaky salmon stuffed with lump crab meat sounds like a dish from a fancy seafood restaurant, but this crab stuffed salmon recipe hack couldn’t be easier!
You’ll have this simple dish on the table before you could even drive to a seafood restaurant (and it looks like a seriously elegant dinner!)
It’s a perfect dish for a special occasion like an anniversary or Valentine’s Day without too much of a fuss. Pair it with a white wine for a fancy meal at home.
Our genius hack is a great way to save time and makes this dish such a simple recipe!
Type of Salmon to Use
There are a number of different types of salmon to choose from: Atlantic salmon, sockeye salmon, and wild-caught pacific salmon.
Honestly, the type of salmon that you use doesn’t really matter as long as a filet is thick enough to hold the stuffing.
Sometimes sockeye salmon filets are a bit thinner, so we end up passing on that variety in order to have a thick enough filet so we can fit in tons of crab filling!
Crab Stuffing Hack
Typically the crabmeat stuffing for crab stuffed salmon is a homemade mixture of lump crab meat, panko breadcrumbs, red bell peppers, green onions, fresh parsley, and old bay seasoning.
You need to gather all the ingredients and mix them with a binding agent, like eggs.
Looking for a less-time consuming recipe hack? Just use a crab cake!
A crab cake is essentially the same stuffing you’d find in crab stuffed salmon.
So just buy your favorite frozen crab cake, give it a thaw, and use it for stuffing!
Variations for Crab Stuffed Salmon
We kept this recipe super simple by just seasoning the salmon with salt and pepper.
If you are looking to kick the flavor up a notch, consider adding on these flavors and seasoning to the salmon prior to stuffing it with the crab cake.
- Lemon butter – Add melted lemon butter on the outside of the salmon.
- Old Bay or Cajun seasoning – Coat the salmon in seasoning before stuffing with the crab cake.
- Creole mustard – Baste your salmon in creole or Dijon mustard.
- Parmesan cheese crust – Coat the salmon in olive oil and add a Parmesan cheese layer for flavor and texture.
What to Serve with Crab Stuffed Salmon
The crab stuffed salmon is a pretty healthy dish.
You can keep it light by adding a healthy side or select a heartier item to make the meal more filling.
- We served this dish with a simple spinach salad, but any salad will pair wonderfully with the salmon.
- Pair with veggies like green beans, asparagus, or even our amazing Air Fryer Broccolini Recipe.
- Add a starch like rice; our Tropical Rice Recipe will bring out the crab flavor even more!
- Serve it on top of noodles for an easy salmon pasta.
The Easiest Crab Stuffed Salmon Recipe
Serves: 2 crab stuffed salmon fillets
Prep Time: 1 Minute
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 Salmon filets
- 2 Frozen crab cake patties, thawed
- Sea salt and black pepper
- Chopped herbs, for garnish
- Lemon zest and lemon juice, for garnish
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Using a sharp paring knife, make a slice in one long cut on the top of the salmon fillet, leaving the edges still connected.
- Season the top of the fish with salt and pepper.
- Stuff the thawed crab cake into the opening that you created in the salmon filet.
- Place in an oven safe skillet or baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray or a drizzle of cooking oil.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 12 mins (until an instant read thermometer reads 145 internal temp) then broil for 3-4 mins in order to turn the top of the crab mixture golden brown.
- Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon zest, or add lemon juice from fresh lemon wedges, if desired.
The Easiest Crab Stuffed Salmon Recipe
Looking for the easiest way to make a crab stuffed salmon recipe? This recipe hack saves time and couldn't be simpler!
Ingredients
- 2 Salmon filets
- 2 Frozen crab cake patties, thawed
- Sea salt and black pepper
- Chopped herbs, for garnish
- Lemon zest and lemon juice, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Using a sharp paring knife, make a slice in one long cut on the top of the salmon fillet, leaving the edges still connected.
- Season the top of the fish with salt and pepper.
- Stuff the thawed crab cake into the opening that you created in the salmon filet.
- Place in an oven safe skillet or baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray or a drizzle of cooking oil.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 12 mins (until an instant read thermometer reads 145 internal temp) then broil for 3-4 mins in order to turn the top of the crab mixture golden brown.
- Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon zest, or add lemon juice from fresh lemon wedges, if desired.
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Love All Things Salmon? Check Out These Other Terrific Recipes:
- Probably our favorite salmon recipe is this easy Mediterranean Grilled Salmon Skewers recipe.
- Use sushi-grade fresh salmon to make this easy 10 Minute Hawaiian Salmon Poke Recipe. You can eat it on rice, in fried wonton taco shells, or on Air Fryer Wonton Chips for Poke Nachos. It was one of our favorite things to eat in Maui!
- Salmon tacos are a lightened up twist on a traditional taco Tuesday.
- Hot Honey and Sriracha Salmon is packed with flavor and a kiss of heat.
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