Stuffed Salmon

Have you tried spinach stuffed salmon?! 🐟 Omg SO GOOD. I’m drooling just looking at it and thinking about the recipe. 🤤🤤🤤

It’s also SO EASY to prepare when you’re wanting something delicious on a busy weeknight or even an easy to make option that’s fancy enough to serve up at a more elegant dinner party when you’re entertaining friends or family. 

This creamy spinach stuffed salmon will have whoever you serve this dish to believing that your cooking skills are on a whole other level when you present them with this perfect and delicious cuisine. And like I said before, the best part is that it’s super easy.

Here’s how to make it 👉🏼

Easy Spinach Stuffed Salmon Recipe

As a mentioned, this stuffed salmon recipe is pretty easy to whip up. Plus, you can have your stuffed salmon ready in under 30 minutes. That’s 10 minutes of prep time and 15 minutes to cook. So all in all you can have it ready to serve in 25 minutes tops from start to finish!

So let’s get started.

We pulled this recipe to make the perfect stuffed salmon. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• salmon filet
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• unsalted butter

For the cream cheese mixture (the filling):

• cream cheese
• frozen (or raw) baby spinach
• parmesan cheese
• minced garlic
• salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. To prepare the salmon, cut a slit (or pocket) into the side of fresh salmon using a sharp knife. Cut about 3/4 of the way through being careful not all the way through and don’t cut it in half 🔪
2. Season the salmon with salt and pepper, and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and lemon juice
3. For the cream cheese mixture, in a bowl, mix 2 Tbsp reduced fat ricotta + 1/2 cup raw baby spinach (yes it’s ok it’s raw, just mix it up!) 🥬
4. Fill the salmon slit with the cream cheese mixture 🐟
5. Stuffed salmon can be prepared two ways. You can pan fry the salmon over medium high heat or place it on a baking sheet to bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes  (or until you have flaky salmon easily) 🔥
6. Serve with a side salad of more spinach topped with a little light dressing or with a starchy side like quinoa or mashed potatoes 🍴

As a bonus, here’s one more Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Salmon recipe to try if you have these items in your pantry. And the best part is it comes out to be only about 343 calories!

Ingredients

• 3 cups Leafy greens, spinach, raw – 21 calories
• 4 oz Salmon filet – 200 calories
• ¼ cup Ricotta cheese, whole milk – 108 calories
• 1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar – 14 calories
• ¼ tsp Oregano – 0 calories
• ¼ tsp Salt – 0 calories

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix ricotta and 1 cup spinach in a bowl.
3. Slice salmon in the middle (not the whole way through so you create a pocket).
4. Season salmon with oregano and salt.
5. Stuff salmon with ricotta mixture.
6. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with oil spray; add salmon.
7. Bake for 20 minutes.
8. Make side salad with the rest of the spinach and dressing.
9. If you’d like this on the grill instead: Place salmon over drip pan and grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 40-50 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork and a thermometer reads 165° for stuffing

You can also try this version of the Stuffed Salmon that has feta cheese and is served with potato. The extra carbs brings this meal to about 516 calories.

Ingredients

• 4 oz Salmon filet – 200 calories
• ⅛ cup Ricotta cheese, part-skim – 54 calories
• 3½ cups Leafy greens, spinach, raw – 25 calories
• 1 Potato, Russet, medium, 5 inches – 160 calories
• 1 Tbsp Feta (Tbsp) – 25 calories
• 1 Tbsp Pecans (Tbsp) – 47 calories
• ¼ tsp Salt – 0 calories
• ¼ tsp Pepper, ground – 0 calories
• 2 Tbsp Red wine vinegar (Tbsp) – 6 calories

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil and spray it with an oil spray
3. Poke holes in potato with a fork and add potato to the baking sheet
4. Bake for 50 minutes
5. Mix 1/2 cup spinach, ricotta, and salt & pepper in a bowl
6. Top salmon with more salt & pepper and pat in into the fish
7. Slice a pocket into a side of the salmon and fill it with the ricotta spinach mixture
8. Add salmon to the baking sheet 40 minutes in (so the potato has 10 minutes left)
9. While salmon is baking, make your side salad with spinach, feta, pecans, red wine vinegar, and more salt & pepper
10. Assemble a bowl or plate with your salad, salmon, and potato, and enjoy!
11. No dairy? Use dairy-free pesto instead of the ricotta (available at most stores) and oil instead of feta

Will you try this creamy spinach stuffed salmon?! It’s unbelievably easy. I promise you won’t be disappointed! 😍💛

What To Serve With Stuffed Salmon

Now that you’ve got the gist of how to make a stuffed salmon, you’re probably wondering what all you can serve with this main dish. A lot of it will depend on what you stuffed your salmon with. 

For this spinach stuffed salmon (or any salmon stuffed with veggies, you can pair it with another green option or starchy side. If you’re whipping up a stuffed salmon dish that’s stuffed with crab or other seafood, you may find that serving it with roasted veggies or pasta or other seafood options best accompany the dish.

Here’s a few specific options.

Mashed Potatoes

The creamy filling paired with the creamy mashed potatoes make the perfect bite of salty and buttery fats, protein, and carbs when combined. 

Wild rice

Wild rice adds a bit of texture to the dish, and is hardy enough to make the meal the right amount of filling. It also is a pretty nutrient dense side option to add to your plate. Wild rice is rich in antioxidants, which makes it great for heart health. It’s also much higher in protein than white rice and many other grain alternatives. 

Couscous

Much like rice, couscous is another hardy side you can add to the spinach stuffed salmon dish. Plus, there’s an added protein and fiber content in couscous, which helps make you feel full longer when eating this meal combo.

Green Beans

When you’re making salmon, especially spinach stuffed salmon, add crunch and brighten up your dish with green vegetables. Green beans make the perfect counterpart. You won’t be disappointed with this pair.

Green Salad

You can never go wrong with a green salad next to your salmon. Think about a green salad with a bed of arugula or spinach or even touches of sliced cucumber or a cucumber salad to mix. You can also do a medley of romaine lettuce, celery stalks, cheese, and avocado. Salmon paired with a bite of green helps to brighten up the entire dish.

Corn on the Cob

There’s something about this seafood dish paired with corn on the cob. Corn adds a layer of sweetness and crunch to the dish that really just brings everything together. Drop your corn on the cob in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes or you can opt to grill them for a charred flavor.

Roasted vegetables

Since salmon can be a lighter protein, sometimes coupling it with a side that’s hardier is a good move. Roast a medley of vegetables to go with your stuffed spinach. Think brussel sprouts, peppers, zucchini or squash to name a few options.

Steamed Clams

If you’re feeling fancier, go all out with the seafood and pair your stuffed salmon with some steamed clams. Clams add a chewy texture and salty flavor profile to the dish. It pairs well together with salmon and it’ll be a dish you’ll want to keep coming back to for seconds (or thirds) haha.

Lobster Ravioli

The creaminess from the lobster filling is similar to the cream cheese filing inside of your stuffed salmon, which helps make this pair such a decadent bite. To make this easier, you can buy these ready made out of the grocery store. Just warm them up and serve with your salmon. Oh my gosh, this. is. so. so good!

Sautéed Mushrooms

Mushrooms are a great source of protein, calcium, and fiber. Sautee these on the stove and serve with your stuffed salmon for a satisfactory bite. Mushrooms naturally produce it’s own sauce when heated. Just cook in oil and allow the mushrooms to sweat and do what they do best.

Additional cooking tips for stuffed salmon

Thaw overnight

When working with salmon (or any fish), fresh is best. If you’re preparing this recipe with frozen fish, you’ll want to thaw it out overnight. You can do this by moving it from the freezer to the fridge the night before so that the fish can thaw out evenly and it’ll be ready and easy to work with when it comes time to slice and cook.

Pat dry

Before cutting, be sure to rinse your salmon thoroughly and then pat it dry with extra paper towels to be sure to absorb all the moisture. This step is especially important when you’re wanting to have crispy skin on your salmon for a crunchy bite.

Prepping he fish

Leave the skin on! I know some people question whether or not they should leave the skin on. You definitely want to keep it on. Trust me. This is the best part and is the part of the fish that’s packed with a lot of the core nutrients. Plus, it’s the skin that usually has the highest concentration of omega-3 fatty acids than any other part of the fish. 

Cutting the fish

Make sure you’re using a super sharp knife. It makes the cut easier to do on such a delicate fish. If your knife is dull, you can sharpen your knife with a knife sharpener as an option. Obviously handle a sharp knife with care! And always cut going in the direction away from you.

When pan frying

I like my salmon pan seared skin side down on the stove top. So if you’re a fan of crispy skin on your salmon, but worried about your fish falling apart while trying to flip it with the filling, then you’ll want to use a wooden spoon or other utensil to help you hold the top while you scoop and flip the bottom with a spatula.