Description

Elegant salmon fillets stuffed with a luxurious mixture of jumbo lump crab meat, shrimp, cream cheese, and aromatic seasonings. Perfect for special dinners, date nights, and impressing guests without spending hours in the kitchen.

Ingredients

Salmon & Seafood

2 large salmon fillets (about 16 oz each)
8 oz jumbo lump crab meat
½ lb shrimp, chopped

Aromatics & Seasonings

4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp green onions, chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp Adobo seasoning
1 tsp all-purpose seasoning (I use Badia Complete)
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cardamom (skip if you don’t have it)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Salt, to taste
2 tbsp lemon juice (fresh is best)

Creamy Filling

4 oz cream cheese, softened
¼ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning

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Instructions

Step 1: Get Your Oven Ready

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line your baking dish with foil or parchment for easier cleanup. Keep the rack in the middle and stick with regular bake instead of convection so it cooks evenly without over-browning.

Step 2: Mix Up the Stuffing

Combine the crab, shrimp, seasonings, cheeses, and lemon juice in a bowl, then gently fold everything together with a fork so the crab stays in chunks. Taste and adjust the seasoning, making sure the mixture holds together—add more lemon or cream cheese if dry, or a little breadcrumb if too wet.

Step 3: Prep the Salmon

Pat the salmon dry, then cut a pocket into the thickest part of each fillet (like a pita) without slicing all the way through. Season lightly with salt and pepper, or skip the pocket and simply pile the stuffing on top—both methods work.

Step 4: Stuff It

Gently stuff each salmon pocket with the seafood mixture, letting any extra sit on top or around the sides. Lightly press the filling in place without squeezing too hard so it stays put and doesn’t spill out.

Step 5: Bake Until Golden

Bake the stuffed salmon at 350°F for 20–30 minutes, until the top is golden and the fish flakes easily with a fork (or reaches 145°F internally). If it browns too quickly before cooking through, loosely cover with foil.

Notes

Don’t skip that cardamom if you’ve got it lying around. I know it sounds fancy and intimidating, but it’s the secret ingredient that makes people ask “what makes this taste so good?” It adds this warm, slightly sweet note that you can’t quite identify but makes everything taste more complex.

Dry off your seafood with paper towels first or everything gets watery and sad. Nobody wants soggy stuffed salmon. The crab meat especially can hold a lot of liquid, so really squeeze it gently in the paper towels.

Fresh herbs are worth it here. The dried stuff tastes like cardboard compared to fresh parsley and green onions. Plus fresh herbs make you feel like a real chef even when you’re just throwing stuff together.

Let your ingredients sit out and get to room temperature before you start. Cold cream cheese is impossible to mix, cold eggs don’t incorporate well, and cold seafood doesn’t absorb flavors as well. Plan ahead and take everything out of the fridge about an hour before you start cooking.

If you’re making this for company, prep the filling in the morning and keep it covered in the fridge. Then you just need to stuff and bake when people arrive. Makes you look super organized even when you’re secretly panicking.

Here’s a weird tip that works – if your filling seems too loose, add a tablespoon of panko breadcrumbs. It helps bind everything without changing the flavor. I learned this from a chef friend who uses it in all his seafood stuffings.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Category: Main Dish
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American