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A stuffed salmon fillet crowned with herbs and spices, garnished with lemon slices, rests on parchment paper on a baking tray beside a spatula.
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Stuffed Salmon Recipe

This stuffed salmon is a delicious dinner option that will impress your taste buds. Tender salmon fillets are stuffed with creamy pesto, fluffy couscous, and tangy feta cheese and baked to perfection.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Total Time48 minutes
Course: Seafood
Cuisine: American Fusion
Keyword: stuffed salmon
Servings: 6
Author: Emily Richter

Ingredients

Pesto

  • 15 fresh basil leaves
  • ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1.5 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup 2% cottage cheese
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt

Couscous Filling

  • 4 oz. pearl couscous or orzo
  • 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato oil
  • ¼ white onion minced
  • 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
  • ⅓ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Other Ingredients

  • 2 lb. full salmon fillet
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Add all of the ingredients for the pesto to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.
    Food processor with basil leaves, cheese, pine nuts, and lemon halves on a marble surface.
  • Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the couscous. Cook until al dente and then rinse with cold water.
    A pot filled with cooked pearl couscous on a marble surface.
  • Heat the sun-dried tomato oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add the onion and season with a pinch of salt. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
    Chopped onions and oil in a white frying pan on a marble countertop.
  • Add the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes to the skillet and toss. Cook until the spinach has wilted and remove from the heat.
    Chopped spinach, diced onions, and sun-dried tomatoes cooking in a frying pan on a marble surface.
  • Add the cooked couscous, ½ the pesto, and the spinach mixture to a bowl and toss until coated. Season with salt and pepper and toss again.
    A bowl filled with a couscous salad mixed with herbs, spices, and sun-dried tomatoes on a marble surface. A wooden spoon rests in the bowl.
  • Next, slice the salmon. Slice down the center of the salmon about an inch down. From the middle, slice diagonally from the middle to the outside edge. Gently fold back each side to make room for the filling.*
    A raw salmon fillet on parchment paper with a knife beside it.
  • Fill the middle of the salmon with the couscous and gently fold the salmon edges over the filling.
    Salmon fillet on parchment paper, split open and filled with a mixture of couscous, herbs, and spices.
  • Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place the lemon rounds on the top of the salmon.
    Raw salmon fillet stuffed with seasoned breadcrumbs and topped with lemon slices on parchment paper.
  • Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the salmon is flakey.
    Baked salmon fillet stuffed with couscous and topped with lemon slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  • While the salmon is baking, add the remaining pesto to a bowl and add 1-2 tablespoons of the sun-dried tomato oil to the pesto to thin it out. Stir and set aside.
  • Remove the salmon from the oven and top with the remaining pesto, feta, and freshly squeezed lemon.
    Plate with salmon topped with green sauce, alongside couscous, crumbled cheese, and lemon slices. Fork on the plate, napkin beside it.

Video

Notes

  • If you can not find a full salmon fillet, you can buy 4-6 salmon fillets. Slice each fillet in half and stuff each fillet with the couscous filling, about ½ cup of filling in each.
  • Feel free to substitute the pine nuts with pistachios or sunflower seeds.
  • If you don’t have feta, you can use parmesan cheese.

Nutrition

Calories: 448kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 25g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g