Description
Delicious stuffed salmon fillets with a creamy spinach and garlic filling, seasoned and cooked to tender perfection. This recipe offers two cooking methods—stovetop searing for a crispy crust or oven baking for a tender finish—making it versatile and perfect for a healthy, flavorful seafood meal.
Ingredients
Salmon
- 4 7-oz Salmon fillets
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp Sea salt
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper
Spinach Filling
- 1/2 tbsp Olive oil
- 3 oz Fresh spinach (or 2 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained)
- 2 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 4 oz Cream cheese (softened at room temperature)
- 1/4 cup Grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp Sea salt
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper
Instructions
- Create Pocket: Use a small knife to carefully cut a slit lengthwise in each salmon fillet to form a pocket, cutting through the middle but not through the ends.
- Prepare Salmon: Pat salmon dry with paper towels. For baking, brush fillets with 1 tablespoon olive oil and lemon juice. For pan searing, apply lemon juice only at this step. Season both sides with sea salt and black pepper. Set aside.
- Sauté Spinach: Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach and sauté for 1-2 minutes until wilted. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Make Filling: Once spinach is cooled, squeeze out excess liquid. Transfer to a medium bowl and combine with minced garlic, softened cream cheese, grated parmesan, sea salt, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly.
- Stuff Salmon: Divide spinach mixture into four equal parts and stuff each salmon fillet pocket with the filling.
- Cook Salmon: Stovetop method: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add stuffed salmon and sear for 5-6 minutes until salmon is mostly opaque on the bottom. Flip gently and cook another 3-6 minutes until done.
Oven method: Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Place stuffed salmon in a baking dish and bake for 10-15 minutes.
For both methods, cook salmon to an internal temperature of 135-140°F (57-60°C) for moist, flaky doneness.
Notes
- Use fresh spinach for best texture, but frozen thawed spinach works well too.
- Adjust cooking time based on thickness of salmon fillets.
- Ensure salmon pockets are fully sealed around edges to prevent filling from leaking.
- Internal temperature guidance ensures perfectly cooked salmon: 125°F for medium rare, up to 145°F for well done.
- Can substitute parmesan with pecorino or a hard cheese of choice.
