Grilled Wild Caught Stuffed Salmon

Try our recipe for Wild Caught Stuffed Salmon with Shrimp, Spinach, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. It’s Easy, Delicious, Elegant and Gluten free! Grill it or Bake it, you will Love it.

Craving a simple to prepare homemade restaurant quality dish? Try our Wild Caught Stuffed Salmon recipe. We fill plump, flaky salmon fillets with a mouthwatering mix of succulent shrimp, sun dried tomatoes, spinach and Pecorino Romano creating a flavor and texture blend that will rival your favorite seafood restaurant. Grill it or bake it, this easy to follow recipe is packed with protein and healthy fats, making it a deliciously nutritious and sustainable choice.

Wild Caught or Farm Raised?

Farm raised seafood is a huge industry today. So, farm raised or wild caught, which should you purchase? To make this decision, a few facts with regard to each is necessary. Concerns with respect to this question are quite varied, includingthe nutritional value of each, to impacts of fish farming,the difference between their diets, pollution from fish farming, and contamination from PCB’s or mercury. Wild salmon has fewer calories and half the fat content of the same amount of farmed salmon. Farmed salmon may have more omega-3 fatty acids, but it also has more than double the saturated fat content.

This is a food blog and not a forum to decipher the complex question and concerns of health impacts associated with food. A terrific resource discussing each of these concerns in more detail is provided with this link to the Washington State Department of Health. As this is of a concern, we can summarize the information related to this question and encourage those with more detailed information needs to follow the links provided in this discussion.

Pros and Cons of Wild caught salmon

• excellent source of protein
• excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids, but can be variable dependent on changing fish diet
• lower risk of dioxins and carcinogens than farm raised
• reddish flesh is natural, resulting from the fish’s diet. No fake food coloring is necessary.
• more expensive than farm raised

Pros and Cons of Farm raised salmon

• excellent source of protein
• excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids. Consistent diet limits variability of this benefit
• import of Atlantic salmon to northwest can introduce non native species. Regulations seek to minimize potential impact of this.
• imported Atlantic salmon escaping from farms and competing with native species in the wild.
• fish raised in dense environment. Pollution from feces and potential disease
• use of antibiotics to limit disease in unnaturally dense environment
• use of red dye to make the flesh appear more like wild caught.
• milder flavor compared to wild caught. May be preferable to some palates.
• less expensive. Makes this source of protein available for some who could not afford without farming.

This is an extremely complex issue. We hope the above summary and informational links we have included provide the knowledge to help you determine which best suits you. This is ultimately a personal choice that each of us must make. We eat both, farm raised and wild caught.

Is stuffed salmon healthy?

We all know salmon is a nutritional powerhouse, loaded with omega-3 fatty acids and tons of health benefits. But the question becomes: how do you prepare it to keep it healthy? Often, seafood dishes that start with this heart-healthy fish get weighed down by their stuffing; think breadcrumbs and butter, adding unnecessary carbs, fat, and calories to that lean protein. This recipe tackles that dilemma head on! We’ll show you how to create a delicious and satisfying stuffed salmon that keeps the focus on the fish’s natural health benefits.

We’ve seen tons of salmon recipes that rely on loads of butter for a flavorful stuffing. While that can be delicious, it adds unnecessary fat and calories. This recipe takes a different approach. We use a lighter stuffing packed with healthy ingredients like shrimp, sun dried tomatoes, and spinach. The pecorino Romano cheese adds a touch of creaminess without the heaviness of butter. The result? A moist, flavorful stuffing that complements the salmon perfectly. Trust us, you won’t miss the butter!

Good News for Gluten Free Folks

The good news is this dish is naturally gluten-free thanks to the salmon and stuffing. The glaze can also be gluten-free, but we recommend double-checking the ingredients you use to make sure they fit your dietary needs. If you find you need a substitute, an Asian-style glaze would work beautifully with this recipe.

Can you freeze stuffed salmon?

Here’s a handy tip: Most fish, unless you’re getting fresh, seasonal catches from a trusted market, have likely been frozen at some point before reaching your plate. The good news? You can absolutely freeze leftover stuffed salmon!

What about Costco’s Stuffed Salmon

Let’s face it, Costco’s prepared meals are lifesavers on busy nights. They’re quick, affordable, and usually pretty tasty. But, unfortunately this convenience comes with a long list of unrecognizable ingredients. Second, their stuffed or prepared salmon come with a huge helping of seasoned butter, guaranteeing a moist and delicious salmon fillet, but adding an undesirable amount of saturated fats not coveted as are the omega 3 fatty acids.

This recipe offers a different approach. While we love the ease of a Costco meal, we also value fresh, wholesome ingredients you can actually pronounce and our recipe keeps the ingredient list nice and short. Plus, our recipe avoids hidden saturated fat and calories so your seafood meal remains heart healthy as you intended.

Stuffed salmon with shrimp and spinach

Shrimp and spinach along with sun dried tomatoes and pecorino Romano cheese are the main source of flavor and moisture in our recipe. Some ask what about using crab meat in the stuffing. This can be substituted for the shrimp and can be delicious. Unfortunately, it will also take a bit more out of your wallet. We love the taste and texture of shrimp but feel free to try substituting with crab meat. Bonus tip! Try cooking your stuffed salmon on a cedar plank using indirect heat on your grill.

How to cook stuffed salmon in the oven

This is the most traditional way of preparing this dish. Simply prepare the recipe as described below and cook in a 400F oven for 20-30 minutes to an internal temperature of 125F.

How do I cook Salmon on the grill?

If you follow us, you know that we love to use the barbeque anywhere possible. We believe grilling adds flavor that cannot be duplicated in the oven. This is a terrific dish to cook on the grill. However, we suggest a griddle or cedar plank and using indirect heat for the best results.

To cook, preheat to 400F and cook for 20 minutes, until the salmon reaches an interior temperature of 125 F. Pictured above are our Webers we use to make the recipes we promote here. We have cooked on Webers for over 20 years. Our Genesis Silver is getting a bit tired and worn after 20 years of flawless service and many of the parts are no longer available. It remains in a corner of our yard and is used from time to time.

We replaced this family member with the grills above. When we are in the mood for charcoal we use our Weber Master Touch. The gas option is the Weber Genesis 2 shown above that comes with more than enough grill space, a searing burner and a side burner for cooking sauces or glazes.

You will spend more up front to purchase a Weber, but our experience is you will save money back over time. How? In 20 years we only replaced the burners and igniter once each. The grates and flavor bars were replaced every 4-5 years. Most using cheaper brands have replaced their entire grill 3 or 4 times over 20 years. The math is fairly simple, over its lifetime our Weber grill was much less expensive. Additionally, we can attest that not many grills will cook as well as a Weber.

How to cook Stuffed Salmon

This recipe is not quite as simple as many of the recipes we provide. The reason, the salmon must be sliced open from the center of the fillet. The video below illustrates this step. This requires a good sharp knife, preferably a fillet knife and some knife skills. If you are handy with a knife, then ignore the above as the rest of the recipe is quite simple.

Once the salmon has been cut, place it in the refrigerator. It is now time to prepare the filling. Finely dice the small onion and garlic and move to the corner of cutting board. Then slice spinach into strips and chop sun dried tomatoes into small pieces. Move them to the corner of cutting board with the onions and garlic. Now, coarsely chop the deveined and defrosted shrimp.

Bring all ingredients to the center of the cutting board and top with pecorino Romano cheese. If your sun dried tomatoes weren’t marinated in olive oil, add olive oil to the pile. With your hands, mix all the ingredients for the filling well. It should hold or stick together. If dry, add a bit more olive oil.

We will now stuff the salmon. Take the salmon from the refrigerator and place on a cedar plank. Open the “flaps” you cut in step one. Place the stuffing into the center of the salmon fillet. Close the flaps over the stuffing. Preheat the oven or grill to 400F.

It is time to create the glaze. Cut up ginger and garlic and place in a bowl or salad dressing mixer. Add soy sauce, chicken broth, honey, sesame oil, cornstarch, red pepper flakes and Szechuan chili crisp and mix together well. We absolutley love the Fly by Jing chili crisps. Remove a small amount of the glaze and place in a small bowl. Carefully brush the liquid onto the top of the salmon, coating it well. Discard any remaining glaze from the small bowl.

Place the salmon on cedar plank into the oven, or grill using indirect cooking technique and close the grill hood. Adjust temperature to 400F. Cooking time will depend on the size of the salmon and thickness of the filling but should take 20-30 minutes. Use a cooking thermometer, and cook until internal temperature reaches 125F. Remove, and coat again from the remaining glaze prepared above. Do not use the same brush to avoid contaminating the cooked salmon with brush that was in contact with raw seafood. Top with sesame seeds and green onions. Enjoy!

What can I serve with wild caught stuffed salmon?

Enjoy this recipe?

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