This creamy Shrimp Stuffed Salmon is an elegant meal made super easy. Shrimp is mixed with a garlic and spinach cream cheese filling and stuffed inside a salmon filet, then baked to perfection. With minimal ingredients and clean up, you'll look like a top chef!
This recipe looks like something you'd get at a fancy seafood restaurant, but is actually easy to make for a weeknight meal. It was inspired by my love of seafood stuffed fish but crab is outrageously priced at the moment. This Shrimp Stuffed Salmon is much more affordable but still feels like a fancy meal.
Serve this stuffed salmon dinner with a delicious Apple Fennel Salad or Roasted Mashed Cauliflower.
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Shrimp Stuffed Salmon
This is one of my favorite recipes I've created because it can work for a simple weeknight dinner or for company! I've made this recipe for so many friends and family over the holidays or get togethers. Pair with another recipe like Crab Dip, Scallop Pasta, or Wine-Free Clams for a seafood extravaganza.
You'll love this stuffed salmon recipe because:
- 30 minute meal - The whole recipe takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. It's a wonderful meal for seafood lovers as you get the best of both worlds.
- Less expensive - Shrimp is a lot less expensive than crab and easier to find at the moment.
- Easy to modify - Substitute salmon with another fish fillet around the same thickness, like halibut.
- Minimal dishes - All you need is a small pan to cook the shrimp filling and then the rest is roasted in the oven.
Ingredients
Easy to find ingredients make this shrimp stuffed salmon quick and affordable.
- Salmon Fillets - These can be previously frozen, but for cooking they need to be defrosted or "fresh". Look for 5-6oz filets that have a wider surface area so you can fit in more stuffing. It's more difficult to stuff tall, thin pieces. Farmed or wild salmon will both work for this recipe. Farmed usually has a more delicate flavor.
- Shrimp - Uncooked, peeled and deveined shrimp with tails off will be the easiest to work with. Any size is fine as you will chop them smaller before cooking. I used Trader Joe's Frozen Argentinian Shrimp, which have a sweeter taste like lobster.
- Cream Cheese - Philadelphia cream cheese, or any cream cheese without carrageenan, will work here.
- Panko Breadcrumbs - This provides a lighter texture and more crunch than regular breadcrumbs, but both would work in a pinch. I like Kikkoman or Trader Joe's brand.
- Old Bay or New Bae Seasoning - Primal Kitchen New Bae seasoning is like Old Bay seasoning but with minimal, clear ingredients. This is a very small amount just for some extra flavor. If you don't want to order a new seasoning just for this, I recommend a pinch of paprika and celery seed, which are the two main ingredients.
- Garlic - Who doesn't love a creamy garlic filling? This just takes the flavor up a notch.
- Spinach - Added a few spinach leaves in there for some greens, but you could also cook down kale and use that or just leave it out.
- Green Onion - Great mixed into the cream cheese or as a topping.
- Olive Oil Spray - I love to use a spray to coat everything as it makes it easier instead of rubbing olive oil on the salmon, but you could put olive oil on before you cook it too.
Step by Step Instructions
These easy steps will help you make the perfect stuffed salmon with spinach and shrimp!
Step 1: Defrost the shrimp and cook. Start by defrosting shrimp either overnight or in cold water, pat dry, and slice into small ¼-1/2" pieces. In a small pan, either melt butter or olive oil over medium heat then add the garlic, stirring often till fragrant, about 1 minute. Add shrimp, stirring often with a wood spoon till cooked through. This should only take a few minutes with chopped shrimp.
Step 2: Mix together the cream cheese shrimp filling. Mix together cream cheese, green onion, and spinach, then pour in the warm shrimp mixture. This should allow the cream cheese to melt a bit, making it easier to stir. Mix in new bae seasoning, if using, or spice alternatives. Then add salt and black pepper to taste. (picture 3)
Step 3: Stuff the salmon. Pat salmon fillets dry, season with salt and pepper, and transfer them to a baking sheet covered with parchment or sprayed with oil - skin side down. With a sharp knife, make a small slit about ½ inch deep through the center. Fill the slit with the shrimp mixture. (picture 4)
Step 4: Bake. Top with panko, spray tops of salmon lightly with olive oil, and bake at 400 degrees F for 15-18 minutes. (below picture)
Recipe Tips
Salmon and shrimp are a wonderful way to get extra Omega-3's, which have been shown to help in the prevention of migraine.
- When buying salmon - Look for a thicker cut that is also wide or you can ask the fishmonger for a "center cut" piece. For shrimp, look for ones just containing "shrimp and salt" as occasionally sulfites can be added to preserve them.
- When baking, watch for white spots appearing around the salmon fillet - this is called albumin. If you begin to see a lot of it, this means the salmon is overcooked and it should be removed immediately. Baking for about 15 minutes should give you a nice medium-cooked fish.
Defrosting frozen salmon and shrimp - Frozen salmon and shrimp can be defrosted by placing in the fridge overnight if you don't have access to buy them fresh or want to wait a few days to cook this recipe. This is the best way to defrost them. For a quicker defrost, place them in a bowl of cold water, which should take about 30 minutes to an hour.
Recipe Edits
For gluten free, use a gluten free panko like Aleia's or Jeff's.
For dairy free, use your favorite dairy free cream cheese and replace the butter with olive oil or Earth Balance Pressed Oils. If following a migraine diet, you can also omit the cream cheese entirely, it will just have trouble sticking together. The shrimp can still be stuffed on top of the salmon.
How to Make Ahead
This shrimp stuffed salmon is one of my favorite recipes to make ahead! It's so great for dinner parties. I prep the salmon up until baking. Cook the shrimp filling, mix everything together, prepare the salmon, stuff it, and place on a baking sheet.
If you're baking within the next 1-2 hours, simply leave it uncovered in the fridge. If you plan to make the morning of, cover it gently with plastic wrap or tin foil, then remove before baking. Use the same instructions for baking!
Storing and Reheating
Because fish is always best the day you cook it, I recommend not storing past 1 day. To store stuffed salmon, place in an airtight container and put in the fridge once it cools a bit. To reheat, place on a baking sheet and heat oven to 300 degrees F. Cook for about 10 minutes until just warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
All this needs is something green to accompany it, unless you count the spinach already in it! I like some of the following ideas to pair with stuffed salmon.
- Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi
- Steamed Broccoli or Green Beans
- Roasted Mashed Cauliflower (for low carb!)
- Roasted Potatoes
- Baked Goat Cheese Pasta or Boursin Pasta
More Salmon Recipes
For more recipes like this shrimp stuffed salmon, you'll love these posts!
If you make this, tag me #thedizzycook or @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram. And if you love the recipe, please leave a review below! Follow along on my Pinterest for more great recipes.
Shrimp Stuffed Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 16 medium-sized raw shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails removed, chopped into ½" pieces
- 4-5 oz cream cheese
- 1 large handful of fresh spinach leaves (roughly 1 cup)
- ¼ teaspoon Primal Kitchen New Bae seasoning*
- 4 center cut salmon filets, 4-6oz per person
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- kosher salt and black pepper
- Parsley for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 C). In a large pan, melt butter or olive oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic cloves, stirring often, till soft and fragrant (but not brown), about 1 minute. Stir in chopped shrimp and cook, stirring often, till just opaque - about 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and mix in cream cheese and spinach, till everything is well-coated, then add the New Bae seasoning. Taste and adjust any seasonings.
- Arrange salmon fillets skin side down on parchment or on a sheet pan sprayed with oil. Pat dry. Make a small ½" slit down the center and pull apart to stuff the shrimp mixture in. Season filet with salt and pepper, then spoon the mixture into the slit, allowing it to spill out a bit on the top.
- Top with panko and bake at 400F for 15-18 minutes for medium cooked fillets. Panko should be lightly brown on top. Sprinkle parsley for garnish, if desired.
Notes
- I used Trader Joe's Frozen Argentinian Shrimp, which are a good price and have sweet, lobster-like flavor.
- If you don't have New Bae, use Old Bay or a combination of celery seed and paprika. This is also good with just salt and pepper.
- It's preferred to use skin-on salmon that helps retain moisture while baking.
Anonymous says
I have all the ingredients so I’m making this tomorrow. My husband will love it. Thank you in advance.
Alicia says
Awesome! I hope he enjoys!
Esmeralda says
Awesome!
Anonymous says
Absolutely delish! Made this today and oh wow it came out good. My husband even complimented me and said that this is the best stuffed fish I’ve ever made. Thanks for such an easy lazy day meal!
Momsy says
I make this every week for my family since I discovered the recipe two months ago. They do not want their salmon made any other way. Thanks for the recipe!
Alicia says
Thank you, Momsy! So glad they're enjoying it. It's one of our favorites too.
Gene says
Loved this recipe, and so did my family. Super easy and rewarding. The only thing I changed was I only cooked the shrimp for a minute or so before mixing with cream cheese since they were going into the oven I didn't want them to overcook. Also I cooked it all in a toaster oven, worked great.
Linda Higgins says
This was delicious and so easy to make! I buy my Salmon at Aldi's which sells 2.5 pound packages so I doubled the stuffing mix. Next time I would undercook the shrimp a bit but that's about the only change I would make. This is worthy of entertaining friends and family. My husband actually complimented it which is unusual 🙂
Alicia says
So helpful - thanks for your tips, Linda!
Madi says
It is sooo tasty!! I would definitely go with the recommendation to get the frozen shrimp that are already shelled and deveined. You don't want to be doing that in the middle of an attack. That would be the longest part. Overall, it's pretty fast, and the payoff is enormous. It's also quite filling.
Alicia says
Thanks, Madi! Great tips!
Heather says
So good and really very easy! This is definitely a new favorite!
Alicia says
Thank you, Heather! It feels fancy and like it should be more work, right?
Tiffany K says
I made this recipe last night & oh my! Oh so good! Easy & delicious! If you like salmon, this will be a go to recipe! Also, looking for a quick meal…this is it!
Alicia says
Thanks a bunch, Tiffany. This is one of my all time favorites!
Miranda says
Tonight I made the Shrimp Stuffed Salmon for the first time. I admit I was feeling rather awful today. After spending too long in the supermarket this morning I was dizzy and miserable most of the day. So when I went to make supper I said “ this better be good and worth the effort!” And wow, it was a crowd pleaser. When I say ”crowd” I mean me and the love of my life, but these days that can be considered a crowd. English is his third language but he did say “This is really good” three times. So another successful dish to add to the rotation!
Alicia says
Thank you, Miranda!
Elizabeth says
Super easy to make and absolutely decadent. Perfect for any holiday or family gathering! Made our NYE extra special!
Alicia says
Thank you so much, Elizabeth!! Love your edits too making them into salmon cakes!
Kim says
One of the best dishes that I’ve ever made. It’s so delicious & easy to make! This is going to be a favorite for sure!
Mark says
Was lucky enough to have this on Christmas Eve. I'm really not a fish fan, and I think salmon is "over-used", but this I could do several times a month. It was that good. Alicia is turning me into a believer in salmon.
Alicia says
Thank you!
Camille says
Made this last night and it was so good! Really, really easy and I loved the shrimp stuffing.
Alicia says
Thank you, Camille! So glad you enjoyed this salmon recipe.
Angie says
Delicious and easy! Thanks for a great stuffed salmon recipe!