July 2011

On Christmas Eve in my family, we always have fish for dinner. It’s an old Italian tradition that we loosely follow (history on tradition here). I had been watching a cooking show where they were making some kind of stuffed salmon recipe. Some of the ingredients they were using to make the “stuffing” was okay…but I knew I wanted to make it a little better. Who wouldn’t want it better? So, I created this recipe which I’ll probably tweak just a little each time I make it. 🙂

Crab Stuffed Salmon
Salmon Fillet (I buy mine at Costco or my local fish monger)
Flaked Crab
Olive Oil
Various Spices (salt, pepper, parsley, Greek Seasoning mix)
Light Cream Cheese
Parmesan Cheese (freshly grated)
Milk 1 tblsp.
More spices (I use pretty much the same as what I use on the fish)
Kitchen Twine
Parchment Paper (to line your pan with)

Heat oven to 350*. Line cookie sheet with parchment (I like to line it with aluminum foil, then put parchment on top of that…tends to be easy cleanup!). Cut 3 pieces of kitchen twine long enough to wrap around fish and lay on pan as in example below.

Brush olive oil on both sides of filet and season to your taste. Lay fillet down on top of kitchen twine. You will be folding the fillet in half, so center on twine accordingly. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, crab, spices, parmesan cheese & milk until creamy and pliable. Layer on fish and fold over half of fillet to create a “sandwich”. Tie up fish and bake in oven until fillet is pink and cooked through (different ovens vary on times…mine takes about 25-30 minutes). Once cooked, take out and immediately cover with aluminum foil for 10 minutes to rest. Once rested…cut off kitchen twine, slice and enjoy!

This was my feast on Christmas Eve…I used 3 types of fish…Salmon, Crab & Shrimp. It was amazing! Salut!