Easy Crab and Parmesan Stuffed Salmon is the best, baked seafood recipe tutorial for how to cook stuffed salmon using crab meat. Serve this crab topped fish alongside your favorite side dishes. Feel free to add in shrimp if you wish! You can even serve it blackened.
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure here.
This post was originally published in December 2017. It has since been updated.
What Type of Salmon to Use
Select the salmon that you will want to use in the recipe. I like to use Wild Caught Salmon. It has a beautiful bright color and a buttery taste. Wild Caught salmon is the most healthy type to purchase.
The fish consume a natural diet and are lower in calories and fat. Salmon that is sourced from the Atlantic is usually farmed. Farmed means antibiotics and food coloring (to give it a pink color) are used. This adds harmful chemical additives to the fish. So I usually try to look for Alaskan salmon.
You will also want to use individual fillets, as opposed to a full plank. Opt for 5-7oz fillets.
What Type of Crab to Use
I use lump crab meat. You can find it in the refrigerated meat section of the grocery store.
How to Make Salmon Stuffed with Crab Meat
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine the cream cheese, crab, Greek yogurt, Worcestershire, parmesan cheese, and garlic in a bowl.
- Slice a large slit into each salmon fillet.
- Stuff the crab mixture into the slits in the salmon.
- Season the salmon and bake.
- Cool before serving.
How to Add Shrimp
If you wish to add shrimp to the recipe, add it when the crab is added. The remaining steps will stay the same.
How Long to Cook
Bake the salmon covered in parchment paper for 6-8 minutes. It’s optional to broil for another 2 minutes to crisp the salmon along the edges.
Do You Leave the Skin On?
When you cook the salmon, keep that skin on: It provides a safety layer between your fish’s flesh and a hot pan or grill. That’s how you get juicy salmon!
I don’t eat the skin on the salmon. How to remove skin from salmon after cooking is really easy. The fish will glide right off the skin! This is a sign of perfectly cooked salmon. Salmon that flakes and glides will taste amazing. You won’t need to remove a thing.
Overcooked Salmon
Overcooked salmon is dry and has little flavor. Fish (along with meat) will continue to cook when you remove it from heat. This is why it’s important to pay attention to how long the fish cooks.
When the fish is done, it will be a translucent pink in the middle. It should also look flaky. You can check out more tips on How to Tell if Salmon is Overcooked here.
More Salmon Recipes
Salmon Fried Rice
Salmon Patties
Pan Seared Salmon
Blackened Salmon
Air Fryer Salmon
Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict
Maple Glazed Salmon
Ninja Foodi Grill Salmon
Traeger Smoked Salmon
More Crab Recipes
Crab Rangoon Dip
Air Fryer Crab Rangoon
Air Fryer Crab Cakes
Seafood Crab Salad
Shrimp and Crab Quiche
Baked Crab Legs
Instant Pot Crab Legs
Air Fryer Crab Legs
Seafood Stuffed Pasta Shells
Easy Crab and Parmesan Stuffed Salmon
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets Mine were skin on and weighed 4-5oz each.
- 4 oz lump crab meat
- 2 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground rosemary
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped parsley Optional for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, crab meat, garlic, Worcestershire, and Parmesan cheese in a mixing bowl. Stir.
- Spread olive oil onto both sides of the salmon. Make cuts/slices into each of the pieces of salmon without cutting through the entire piece.
- Season the salmon with the seafood seasoning, rosemary, salt, and pepper to taste
- Stuff the crab mixture into each of the slits.
- Sprinkle paprika over the crab mix.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes.
- Optional: Broil the salmon for 1-3 minutes to crisp the edges of the salmon and the brown the crab mixture on top.
Video
Notes
- You can make your own seafood seasoning using 1/4 teaspoon of: onion powder, garlic powder, crushed bay leaves, dried parsley, and dried chives. You can also simply use your preferred seasoning.
- While the fish should be an opaque white, beige, or brown on the outside depending on the cooking method, it should still be a slightly translucent pink in the center. If the center of the salmon is opaque, it’s likely overcooked.
- Salmon cooks in minutes. If you start to see white gunk (protein) come from the salmon it is overcooked. Overcooked salmon will taste dry.
Brandi
Sunday 5th of September 2021
My boyfriend made this for dinner and it was so amazing! It could be served in a restaurant!
staysnatched
Monday 6th of September 2021
Yay! I love that!
Aj
Sunday 13th of June 2021
Bomb - I made in my toaster oven which tends to over cook things - lowered the temp too much on the first go around but 25degrees less for the same amount of time and perfecto!!! Loved it!
staysnatched
Wednesday 16th of June 2021
Wonderful! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Cara
Friday 9th of April 2021
I'm always looking for new ways to cook salmon, and this might just be a new favourite! I was working with lesser-quality ingredients than the recipe called for (I had imitation crab meat and canned parmesan instead of freshly shredded—we are in a full lockdown where I am so I had to take what I could get at the small grocery store near me!), and even so, it was still delicious. I can't wait to try again with better ingredients, because that will obviously take it to a whole new level! I only had two salmon filets but I still made the full amount of filling. I used the leftovers to make a sort of "crab melt"—I spread the filling onto a flatbread, topped with mozza, and broiled. It was amazing that way as well! Thank you for a great recipe :)
staysnatched
Sunday 11th of April 2021
You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Angela Crawford
Tuesday 23rd of March 2021
Another flawless recipe. This recipe is easy and fast. I love salmon but it's nice to dress it up from time to time. This recipe will not leave you disappointed. It might actually get you a man. You should definitely make it.
staysnatched
Saturday 27th of March 2021
haha! Glad you enjoyed it.
Nicole
Monday 8th of March 2021
The recipe was amazing. Super easy to make and I loved the tips on cooking the salmon. Frequently I overcook it but it came out perfect!
staysnatched
Tuesday 9th of March 2021
I'm glad the tips were helpful!