Stuffed Salmon with Spinach – Immaculate Bites Mains

How Healthy Is Salmon Stuffed With Spinach?

Admittedly, this recipe involves a good amount of cream cheese and mozzarella, but the main ingredient is salmon, which is exceptionally healthy. It’s low in saturated fat (that helps balance out the cheese factor) and has plenty of protein, vitamin B12, potassium, and other nutrients. And spinach, sneakily hidden in the creamy filling, is also chock full of nutrients. And it’s keto-friendly. 😅

Recipe Ingredients

1. Salmon – Try to purchase a thick salmon filet for this recipe. It will make stuffing each piece way easier. Stuffing Ingredients – A few ingredients, namely, spinach, garlic, cream cheese, and mozzarella, make for a tremendously flavorful stuffing. 😋
2. Seasonings – Sometimes good old S&P plus red pepper flakes are all you need!
3. Garnishes – Lemon wedges and parsley are the prettiest garnishes for this dish, and they add some incredible flavors.

How to Make Salmon Stuffed With Spinach

• Prep Pan – Line a baking sheet with foil, spray it with cooking spray, and set it aside.
• Cook Spinach – Melt the butter in a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a third of the fresh spinach to the skillet and cook it for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until it wilts. Stir in the garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and cook for 30 seconds more. Continue adding the remaining spinach in large handfuls until it completely wilts down. Remove the pan from the heat.
• Add Cheese – Stir the cream cheese into the spinach until it melts. Sprinkle in the mozzarella cheese and stir until melted and combined.
• Prep the Salmon – Using a paring knife, carefully cut a slit in each salmon fillet to create a pocket.
• Stuff the pockets with your spinach mixture. 
• Bake – Transfer the fish to the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the fillets, sprinkle them with remaining salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the salmon’s center is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
• Serve garnished with parsley, with lemon wedges on the side.

Recipe Variations

1. Dairy-Free – Replace the butter with olive oil and the cheeses with dairy-free options such as tofu and nut cheeses.
2. Spinach Swap – You can mix and match the greens with sauteed callaloo, Swiss chard, and bok choy.
3. Salmon Substitute – Sole, flounder, and tilapia are firm-fleshed fish you can stuff. If the fillets are too thin to cut a slit, you could spread the filling on one side of the fillet, then roll it up and bake it.
4. Whole Fish – You can stuff a whole fish instead of a fillet. Clean the fish well, then fill its cavity with the filling and bake. It takes about 20 minutes in a 450℉/230℃ oven. The internal temperature should read 145℉/62℃.

Tips and Tricks

1. Rub the salmon fillets with a tablespoon of lemon or lime juice before seasoning them with spices and oil to give them a refreshing taste and aroma after baking.
2. Look for larger salmon fillets because it’s easier to cut the slits for stuffing.
3. Save yourself some cleanup time and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Toothpicks are handy for securing the pockets and sealing the filling inside.
5. Start checking the internal temperature at around 8 minutes to avoid overbaking the fish and drying it out.

Make-Ahead Instructions

Instead of cooking this dish ahead of time and reheating it, prepare the filling a day or two ahead of time and store it in the fridge in an airtight container.

You can also pre-cut the salmon filets the day ahead of time. That way, when ready to bake, you simply preheat your oven, stuff the filets, and cook them! It then only takes a couple of minutes!

Leftover baked stuffed salmon will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. Since it has cream cheese in the filling, I don’t recommend freezing it.

Serving and Storage Instructions

Serve this creamed spinach-stuffed salmon fresh out of the oven. It’s incredible when the filling is still warm and bubbly.

Store any leftover stuffed salmon in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Reheat the filets in the microwave or in your oven. If you decide to reheat in the oven, set it to 300℉/150℃ and reheat just until the fish is warmed through. 

FAQs

What Sides to Serve With Spinach-Stuffed Salmon

1. Parmesan-Crusted Asparagus
2. Bacon-Wrapped Green Beans
3. Fondant Potatoes
4. Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
5. Cucumber and Onion Salad

More Spectacular Seafood Recipes to Try

1. Broiled Salmon 
2. Grilled Pompano
3. Fish and Grits
4. Southern Fried Catfish
5. Shrimp0 Gumbo

Conclusion

Well, you are now ready to prepare one of the easiest fancy dinners I know of! Do you make stuffed salmon on the regular? If so, I’d love to hear your best tips and variations in the comment section below. 🫶