Crab Stuffed Salmon

This Crab Stuffed Salmon recipe is a fancy restaurant quality seafood dinner that you can make at home in less than 30 minutes.  Filled with rich lump crab meat, the buttery salmon is baked to perfection becoming tender and flaky.  You will love this elevated salmon dish that's perfect for any holiday or upscale occasion.

Love healthy crab dishes? Also try my Crab Stuffed Shrimp, Crab Cake Sandwich, or Crab Stuffed Mushrooms.

Crab Stuffed Salmon recipe

This Crab Stuffed Salmon recipe is one to pull out of your back pocket when you need something extra or special.  Perfect for a fancy dinner party or holiday like Christmas, New Years or Easter, this gorgeous and elegant dish will impress your guests for sure.

It's simply made with fresh salmon fillets that are stuffed with rich jumbo lump crabmeat, whipped cream cheese, garlic, lemon, mustard and old bay.  There is just a touch of panko breadcrumbs to give it some texture too.  This is simply made in just one bowl and baked in the oven in just 15 minutes.  This meal is sure to wow your family, but only you will know how simnple it actually is to make.

My version is healthier without mayo or butter, but still tastes so rich and indulgent.

You might have felt like making a dish like this at home is too much, but I'll break this down so you can start making this Crab Stuffed Salmon at home too.

Serve it with any of my 25+ Healthy Side Dishes for Salmon including crispy Herb & Garlic Baby Red Potatoes and Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts for a dinner everyone will love.

Why You'll Love this Crab Stuffed Salmon recipe...

• Crab Stuffed Salmon is a restaurant qualithy meal without the fuss!  This dish looks so fancy, but no one will know it's actually easy to make.
• If you need an elevated dish for the holidays or a special occasion, this is it.
• It's so good, yet still pretty low calorie and good for you!  One hearty portion is less than 400 calories.
• You can prepare these ahead of time and pop them in the oven just before your party.

Ingredients:

Here's an overview of what you'll need to make this Crab Stuffed Salmon recipe, but keep scrolling for the full recipe amounts.

• Salmon Filets: You'll need 4 salmon fillets that are large and thick enough to hold the stuffing.  Look for salmon fileets that are at least 1" thick.  Atlantic, Norwegian or other thicker types of salmon will work well for this.  Pat the salmon dry with paper towels before starting the recipe.
• Crabmeat: I like to use jumbo lump crab meat for the Crab Stuffed Salmon.  Claw crab meat can also work if you need a more economical option, but lump is prefered.  You can find the crab meat in the refrigerated section of your grocery store.  You'll either find fresh crab meat or refrigerated canned crab meat there.  Look for one that is hand-picked or fresh-picked so it doesn't have shells, but you will still want to look it over to make sure they didn't miss anything.
• Whipped Cream Cheese: I love using Whipped Cream Cheese instead of mayonnaise in my stuffed fish.  Whipped Cream Cheese let's the crab stick together well and gives it a slighty rich cheesy flavor.  I also like the use the whipped because it's lighter and mixes better with the crab meat because it's easier to stir.
• Onion Powder:  A bit of dried onion powder really makes the flavors pop.
• Lemon Juice: You'll need some lemon juice for the crabmeat mixture, save the rest of the lemon to squeeze on the fish or serve as garnish.
• Old Bay Seasoning: I love using old bay with crabmeat! It tastes so good.
• Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard serves as a bit of moisture to keep the crab stuffing together.
• Egg: A large beaten egg is another key ingredient to keep the crab meat stuffing from just falling apart.  It works as a binder.
• Parsley: I love adding fresh parsley!  It really bring green color to the plate.  It's also a lovely garnish.
• Panko Breadcrumbs: I use just ¼ cup of panko breadcrumbs to get that crab stuffing texture without really counting as a filling.
• Sea Salt & Black Pepper

Instructions:

This is an overview of the instructions to make this Crab Stuffed Salmon recipe, but the full detailed printable recipe is below in the recipe card.

Step One: Prepare the Salmon

1. Using a sharp knife, cut a ¼ inch deep line into the salmon to form a pocket for the stuffing like shown in the photo below.
2. Squeeze it open to make room the the crab stuffing.
3. Spray a baking dish or baking sheet with cooking spray and place the salmon fillets in the pan.  You can also line it with parchment paper for easy clean up.
4. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Drizzle the fish with a small amount of olive oil or spray with olive oil cooking spray.

Step Two: Prepare the Crab Stuffing

1. In a large bowl, mix together the whipped cream cheese, garlic, onion powder, lemon juice, old bay, dijon mustard, parsley, and the beaen egg.
2. Then add the panko breadcrumbs.
3. Then carfully fold the crabmeat into the stuffing mixture, careful to not break up your lumps of crab

Step Three: Assemble the Crab Stuffed Shrimp & Bake

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Carefully add the crabmeat mixture on the top of the salmon fillets.
3. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the fish is flaky and opaque.
4. Plate the salmon, garnish with parsley and enjoy!

Variations

I love this Crab Stuffed Salmon recipe as written, but here are some fun variations.

• Pick Another Fish: You can also make this with other fish like cod, flounder or red snapper.
• Make it Spicy: To make these spicy use add some of your favorite hot sauce or red pepper flakes to the crab stuffing mixture.
• Make the Cajun: Instead of using Old Bay, use my Homemade Cajun Seasoning.
• Make it Ritz Crackers: Instead of panko breadcrumbs, you can use crumbled ritz cracker crumbs. It gives the stuffing a richer, more buttery flavor.  Many restauarnts use this.
• Make them Gluten Free: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs to make them gluten-free.
• Make them in the Air Fryer Stuffed Salmon:  Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees and cook in batches for around 15 minutes.

FAQ

Make Ahead

You can make this entire dish ahead of time and stop just before baking it.  Store it in a covered dish in the fridge for up to a day and when you are ready to eat, pop it in the oven.  It's a great dish to make ahead for a dinner party or holiday.

Serve it With:

• Garlic Green Beans
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Roasted Broccoli and Mushrooms
• Lemon Parmesan Roasted Asparagus
• Kale Ceasar Salad
• Mediterranean Roast Vegetables
• Herb and Garlic Roasted Baby Potatoes
• Arugula and Pear Salad
• Chopped Kale Salad

More Salmon Dishes to Try:

• 18 Healthy Salmon Dinner Recipes

More Crab Dishes to Try:

• Healthy Crab Cakes
• Crab Cake Sandwich
• Crab Deviled Eggs
• Healthy Baked Crab Dip
• Crab Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
• Crab Pasta Salad

If you make this Healthy Crab Stuffed Salmon recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating ★ below. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook too!

Crab Stuffed Salmon

Julie Wunder

This Crab Stuffed Salmon recipe is a fancy restaurant quality dinner that you can make at home in less than 30 minutes.  Filled with rich lump crab meat, the buttery salmon is baked to perfection becoming tender and flaky.  You will love this elevated salmon dish that's perfect for any holiday or upscale occasion.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 384 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each
• 8 ounces lump crabmeat
• 4 ounces whipped cream cheese
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon old bay
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 egg, beaten
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
• ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
• olive oil cooking spray

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Using a sharp knife, cut a ¼ inch deep line into the salmon to form a pocket for the stuffing. Squeeze it open to make room the the crab stuffing.
  
• Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and place the salmon fillets in the pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Drizzle the fish with a small amount of olive oil or spray with olive oil cooking spray.
• Next, prepare the crab stuffing by mixing together the whipped cream cheese, garlic, onion powder, lemon juice, old bay, dijon mustard, parsley, and the beaen egg. Then add the panko breadcrumbs.
• Then carfully fold the crabmeat into the stuffing mixture, careful to not break up your lumps of crab.
  
• Carefully add the crabmeat mixture on the top of the salmon fillets.
  
• Bake for 15-20 minutes until the fish is flaky and opaque.
• Plate the salmon, garnish with parsley and enjoy!
  

Notes

Storage & Leftovers

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.  This is best enjoyed fresh, but it can be reheated in the microwave or oven. Reheated fish does tend to dry out though.

 

Freezing

I would not recogmend freezing this dish.

 

Make Ahead

You can make this entire dish ahead of time and stop just before baking it.  Store it in a covered dish in the fridge for up to a day and when you are ready to eat, pop it in the oven.  It's a great dish to make ahead for a dinner party or holiday.

Nutrition

Calories: 384kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 49gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 174mgSodium: 710mgPotassium: 1080mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 628IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 116mgIron: 3mg

Keyword Crab Stuffed Salmon

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