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Impress everyone with this stuffed salmon recipe! The creamy spinach artichoke filling perfectly compliments the flaky fish.
Looking for a dinner recipe that’s easy and impressive? Try this spinach artichoke stuffed salmon recipe! It’s got a creamy, savory filling flavored like everyone’s favorite dip to contrast to flaky, tender salmon. Honestly, this might be one of our favorite salmon recipes because it’s so simple and tastes restaurant-style. When we made this for Alex’s mom recently, she immediately asked for the recipe!
Ingredients in this stuffed salmon recipe
Salmon can be stuffed with just about anything, from cheese to crab. Our favorite stuffing is based on that popular snack, spinach artichoke dip. Slice a thin cut into a thick fillet of salmon, then stuff it with cream cheese, Parmesan, spinach, artichoke, and spices. The way the creamy filling accents the flaky fish makes it impossible not to immediately want another bite. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:
- Thick salmon fillets, wild caught if possible
- Salt and pepper
- Butter or ghee
- Frozen spinach
- Cream cheese
- Canned artichoke hearts
- Garlic powder and dried dill
- Lemon zest
- Parmesan cheese
The type of salmon to buy
The quality of salmon you can find at the store varies greatly. Lower quality salmon can taste very fishy and have a mushy texture, or have a lot of white stuff (called albumin) when it’s cooked. It’s also important to have thick pieces of salmon for this stuffed salmon recipe: otherwise it will be too thin to stuff. Here’s what to know when shopping:
- 2-inch thick fillets are handy for this recipe; you might find it labeled center cut at the store. Avoid very thin fillets for this recipe: they won’t be thick enough to stuff.
- Buy fresh salmon. Salmon that’s fresh from the fish counter usually has the best flavor. Frozen can work, but try to find highest-quality frozen salmon: avoid those big economy-sized bags (we’ve found this type can be thinner and taste very fishy).
- Look for wild caught salmon. Fish that is wild caught in your country is usually a sustainable choice. (There are also quality options in well-regulated farms; see Seafood Watch Consumer Guide.)
Tips for this stuffed salmon recipe
This stuffed salmon recipe comes together easily, but it does require a bit of technique for the pan frying. One of our top tips: invest in a food thermometer, which will help you cook the salmon to the perfect doneness. Here are a few particulars:
- Allow the salmon to come to room temperature before cooking. If the fish is too cold when you start, the fillet can end up cooked on the outside but raw on the inside.
- Use a sharp knife to slice a pocket into the salmon fillet. Then stuff the pocket with the spinach artichoke stuffing (you’ll have a little left over, which you can eat off a spoon or use for dipping pita chips!).
- Give the fillets a quick sear on high heat on the stovetop. This ensures a nice browned exterior.
- Bake until 125 to 130°F at the thickest point, about 6 to 8 minutes. Measuring with a food thermometer is the best way to assess doneness of a piece of salmon.
Helpful tool: a fish spatula
One helpful tool for cooking salmon and other fish is a fish spatula! This tool is a wide slotted metal spatula that’s easy to gently slide underneath fish when cooking it. Because it’s so wide, it’s useful for many more kitchen tasks, like flipping eggplant pizzas or fries. It’s one of our favorite kitchen tools because it’s so versatile.
If you don’t one, you can grab this fish spatula or use any large, wide flipping tool you have on hand. A thin metal surface is nice to easily slide under the fish skin.
Easy sides to serve
This stuffed salmon recipe comes together easily: but it’s still helpful to have a few very simple side dishes to serve with it. This way, you can whip them up in the hands-off times and still have a meal together in about 30 minutes. Here are a few easy sides for salmon:
- Try Easy Couscous or Easy Lemon Orzo, which come together in about 10 minutes
- Make Perfectly Seasoned Quinoa
- Mix up Lemon Rice or Basil Rice
- Go for a simple Easy Arugula Salad or Watercress Salad with Apple
- Try elegant Sauteed Broccolini or Sauteed Green Beans
And that’s it! Let us know if you try this stuffed salmon recipe and what you think of it. We hope it will be as big of a hit in your house as it is here!
More salmon recipes
Salmon is one of our top easy dinner ideas. Here are a few more fun salmon recipes for preparing it:
- Try simple and impressive Honey Garlic Salmon
- Go for Easy Grilled Salmon or Greek Salmon Salad
- Make Salmon Tacos with Avocado Sauce
- Go for Sockeye Salmon with Lemon or Easy Salmon Steak
- Whip up Pecan Crusted Salmon or Lemon Garlic Salmon
This stuffed salmon recipe is…
Gluten-free and pescatarian.
Print
Creamy Stuffed Salmon
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Impress everyone with this stuffed salmon recipe! The creamy spinach artichoke filling perfectly compliments the flaky fish.
Ingredients
For the salmon
- 1 1/2 pounds thick salmon fillets*, skin on (wild caught if possible)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter or ghee
For the filling
- ¼ cup thawed frozen spinach
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup chopped canned artichoke hearts
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
- 1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the salmon on a plate on the counter and allow it to come to room temperature before cooking, about 15 to 20 minutes (this is about the time it takes for the oven to preheat)
- Meanwhile, make the filling: Thaw the frozen spinach and squeeze it to remove all extra liquid, then use your fingers to break it into rough crumbles. In a small bowl, stir together the spinach with the cream cheese, artichokes, garlic powder, dried dill, kosher salt and lemon zest.
- Pat the salmon dry with a clean towel. Sprinkle it with the kosher salt and a few grinds of fresh ground pepper. Using a sharp knife, slice a pocket across the center of the salmon. Spoon the filling into the salmon pockets, stuffing it as full as possible. (There will be some filling left over, which you can save or discard.)
- Heat a large, oven proof skillet over medium high heat and add the butter or ghee. When butter is melted, add the salmon skin side up and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until nicely seared.
- Flip the salmon (a fish spatula makes easy work of it). Tilt the pan down slightly and quickly spoon the pan juices over the top of the fish a few times. Transfer to the oven and cook 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the thickness, until just tender and pink at the center (the internal temperature should be between 125 to 130°F in the center).
- Remove from the heat. Spritz with juice from a few lemon wedges and serve immediately.
Notes
*2-inch thick fillets are handy for this recipe; you might find it labeled center cut. Avoid very thin fillets for this recipe: they won’t be thick enough to stuff.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Seafood
- Diet: Gluten Free
Keywords: Stuffed salmon, stuffed salmon recipe
This recipe was not easy for a beginner in the stuffing department. I pretty much ruined that fish trying to stuff it lol. Overall though fun recipe to make.
★★★★