Y’all my Crab Stuffed Salmon is straight up slamming. I add a cajun spiced crab cake filling to salmon fillets, bake em up then top with a delish lemon butter wine sauce. You might think crab stuffed fish is a “restaurant-only” dinner, but this recipe is ready in about 30 minutes and simple to pull off. It impresses like nobody’s business.
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They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:
“Absolutely thrilled with this crab-stuffed salmon recipe! As a novice chef, I was hesitant, but the step-by-step instructions made it foolproof. My husband, a tough critic, gave it a solid 5 stars, declaring it better than store-bought alternatives. Highly recommend!”
—CYNTHIA
Ingredient Notes
- Salmon: You can also swap in Chilean sea bass, red snapper, halibut, rainbow trout, or even flounder.
- Crab: While I prefer jump lump crab meat, lump crab or even canned will work in a pinch.
- Mayo: or Plain greek yogurt or sour cream.
- Crackers: Replace the Ritz crackers with breadcrumbs or Panko.
- Wine: If you want to keep the alcohol out, just replace with broth or stock.
How to make Crab Stuffed Salmon
Step 1: Heat butter and oil then saute crab, crackers, shallot and garlic. Next add mayo, hot sauce, parsley, spices and lemon juice and mix together then fold in crab cracker mixture and combine.
Step 2: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper then slit salmon fillets and fill with crab filling. Sprinkle with remaining cajun seasoning and add butter.
Step 3: Bake for 20 minutes. The stuffing should be nice and golden.
Step 4: In a saucepan over medium heat, add butter then shallots and garlic then add wine, lemon juice and spices and boil until combined then add butter and drizzle on top of salmon and serve.
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Crab Stuffed Salmon Recipe
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I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
For the Salmon
- 3 tbsp salted butter divided
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz jumbo lump crab drained
- 10 ritz crackers crushed (a little over 1/2 cup)
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/3 cup mayo or greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
- 2 tsp cajun seasoning divided
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp Old Bay
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 4 (8 oz) salmon fillets
For the Lemon Butter (optional)
- 6 tbsp cold unsalted butter sliced and divided
- 1 tbsp finely chopped shallots
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 3 tbsp dry white wine
- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
Instructions
For the Salmon
- Preheat the oven to 425.
- Heat 1 tbsp of butter along with olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat then saute crab, crushed crackers, shallot and minced garlic until there is some color then set aside.
- Add mayo, hot sauce, parsley, 1 tsp of cajun seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, Old Bay, cumin and lemon juice to a medium bowl and whisk until completely combined.
- Next fold in crab cracker mixture until combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper then using a paring knife, slit a pocket into the center of each salmon fillet and fill with crab filling.
- Sprinkle the remaining cajun seasoning on top of the fillets then divide 2 tbsp remaining butter and add to the top (1/2 tbsp each fillet).
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until stuffing is golden brown.
For the Lemon Butter
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp of butter then add shallots and minced garlic clove and saute until tender and fragrant.
- Next add wine, lemon juice along with cajun seasoning and bring to a boil for a few minutes then turn off the heat and add the rest of the butter and whisk together and serve with salmon.
Notes
How to store & reheat crab stuffed salmon
Make sure you tuck the leftovers into an airtight container within 2 hours of being baked. When you want to reheat the salmon, preheat that oven boos. Set it at 275 degrees and place the fish on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Heat for 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees then serve it back up. Don’t use the microwave boos. That salmon will overcook and get too tough if you do.How long will crab stuffed salmon last in the fridge?
It will keep for up to 3 days.Can I freeze stuffed salmon ?
Yep for sure boos but just know that the texture might be a bit different. Just wrap each stuffed salmon fillet individually with plastic wrap then cover again with foil. I then like to add the fillets to freezer bags and label with the date. It should keep up to 3 months. Thaw individually overnight in the fridge when you want to serve it up again. Tip: It’s best to reheat salmon in the oven! To do so, preheat the oven to 275 degrees and place the fish on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Heat for 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees.Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Thicker Even Salmon: Make sure you select salmon fillets that are the same size or cut them yourself so they end up the same size for even baking.
- Drain: Make sure you drain your crab meat so your stuffing isn’t too watery.
- Create a Deep Pocket: Use a sharp knife to create a deep pocket in the center of the fillet so you can get more delish filling inside.
- Secure The Salmon: If the filling seems to be spilling over, you can secure the stuffing with toothpicks so it all stays in.
- Don’t Overcook: Nobody wants tough and dry salmon y’all. About 17-20 minutes of cooking at 400 degrees should be perfect.
Serving Suggestions
- Surf and Turf: It’s so great paired with marinated skirt steak or seared steak.
- Restaurant Vibes: Serve on abed of garlic mashed potatoes with glazed brussels sprouts.
- Dinner Party: Dish this stuffed salmon up along with creamed spinach, a pot of dirty rice, squash casserole and some strawberry punch bowl cake. Now that’s good eatin!
- Cajun Sunday Supper: Start with a bowl of seafood gumbo then serve this up with red beans and rice and don’t forget to end the meal with beignets.
Recipe help
For sure boos. I like to make the stuffing a day ahead and pop in the fridge. When ready to use, stuff the fillets and move to the oven.
Yep for sure boos. The quality will change but it’s a fine sub.
I actually suggest keeping the skin on so the fillet can hold together and keep the filling in place boos.
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Hi Jocelyn,
I’ve made so many of your dishes and love the. All my friends love the lemon cake so much, I have to keep the ingredients on hand due to the requests. The crab stuffed salmon is beyond amazing. Thanks for your emails because it keeps me from repeating the same old same old dinners. All my best to you & your family.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the crab stuffed salmon and the emails!!
Five stars
Thanks, boo!
Absolutely thrilled with this crab-stuffed salmon recipe! As a novice chef, I was hesitant, but the step-by-step instructions made it foolproof. Even with a small seasoning tweak, the result was perfection. My husband, a tough critic, gave it a solid 5 stars, declaring it better than store-bought alternatives. I’m now confident in my cooking skills and won’t be reaching for Costco’s stuffed crab salmon again. Highly recommend!
Thanks so much, doll!
This recipe was easy to follow and ift taste amazing! It looks amazing plated! My family loved it!!!
Seriously wonderful! I’m so so happy you enjoyed this.