This recipe for Crab Stuffed Salmon With Fennel Salad is the best option for date night. Stuffed with real crab meat, this baked salmon dish is ready in under 30 minutes and can be prepared ahead of time. Serve it over a crisp fennel salad for a refreshing, low carb, and easy dinner.

Look no further for the best date night dinner! This easy Crab Stuffed Salmon With Fennel Salad on the side is light, refreshing, and can be made well ahead of time. Make it for the special person in your life – they’ll have no idea it only took you 30 minutes!
These delicious and nutritious fresh salmon filets are sliced down the middle and stuffed with an easy-to-make crab stuffing. With real crab meat, mayonnaise, a few herbs and spices, and some onion and garlic, every bite is packed with flavor.
Of course, you can’t have a light dinner without the veggies! Serve this easy salmon dinner with white wine and a crunchy fennel salad. Every bite is light and citrusy, plus, it’s a fantastic companion to creamy and flaky fish.
What type of salmon should you use in this recipe?
It’s no secret that wild, fresh salmon will give you the best flavor. If you can find it, wild-caught Pacific salmon, like Coho, Sockeye, or Chinook, is the best money can buy! Both fresh or frozen fish will work in this recipe (just make sure it’s thawed before using).
Try to avoid Atlantic or farm-raised salmon. It’s a much more controversial choice and a lower quality meat.
What type of crab should you use in this recipe?
You have a couple of options when it comes to the crab meat in the stuffing. If you can, try to use real crab meat. There’s no beating that fresh flavor!
I used lump meat, which is sturdy, small, and mild flavored. It’s usually well priced and the flavor won’t overpower the rest of the stuffing or the salmon. A similar option is the backfin meat, which is a mix of lump and body meat from the crab. It’s also flaky and has a great mild flavor.
You don’t want to use the meat from the crab claws. It’s the strongest in flavor and is best served on its own or where it’s meant to be the star of the show.

Stuffed salmon ingredients
This is a seafood lover’s delight! Fresh salmon filet’s are filled with a mix of crab meat and a few other easy ingredients to create a lean and light dinner.
Here’s what you need:
- Salmon
- Crab meat
- Red onion
- Garlic
- Egg
- Mayonnaise
- Dijon mustard
- Smoked paprika, dill, and sea salt
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Parmesan cheese
Fennel salad ingredients
The perfect side dish to baked salmon, fennel salad is crispy, fresh, and light. With a little citrus, every bite of fish and salad together is so refreshing!
This is what you need:
- Fennel
- Arugula
- Orange
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- Parmesan cheese

How to make crab stuffed salmon with fennel salad
Once you have all of your ingredients ready to go, this stuffed salmon with crab meat is very easy to whip together! It would make a fabulous dinner to serve for date night or when you’re craving a restaurant-quality meal at home.
Here’s how to make this recipe:
- Make the crab stuffing mix: Add all of the crab mix ingredients into a bowl and mix together.
- Prepare the salmon: Cut both salmon filets lengthwise down the center to create space for stuffing. Stuff both filets with 2 or 3 scoops of the crab mixture.
- Bake the salmon: Place the stuffed salmon filets on a prepared baking sheet and bake in a 400ºF oven for 15 minutes.
- Make the salad: Use a mandolin or a sharp knife to slice thin strips from the fennel. Toss in a bowl with the arugula. Peel the orange and add the slices into the salad.
- Dress the salad: Squeeze the remaining juice from the orange over top of the salad, then add olive oil and salt. Toss together and add to a plate, topping with fresh parmesan.
- Serve: When the salmon is baked to perfection, serve each filet on top of the dressed salad. Enjoy with mashed potatoes or lemon risotto on the side!

Helpful recipe tips and substitutions
- Want to add a little more flavor to the salmon? Season both sides with some salt and pepper before slicing the filets.
- Don’t overcook the salmon! Salmon only needs around 15 to 17 minutes in the oven before it’s ready to eat. Any longer and it may dry out or taste tough.
- You can use this stuffing mix on any type of fish. Use it on baked white flaky fish like flounder, cod, or halibut.
- Want to add greens? Add ½ cup of cooked spinach into the stuffing mix.
- Make this recipe dairy-free by removing the Parmesan cheese.
- Need a different dressing for the salad? Use my creamy ranch dressing instead.
- Swap the orange juice in the salad for lemon juice or grapefruit instead. Serve with lemon wedges or slices of grapefruit instead of orange slices.
- Want the freshest crab stuffing ever? Make your own mayonnaise! It’s easy and only requires a handful of ingredients.
- Make this recipe gluten-free by swapping the panko for gluten-free breadcrumbs.

Making stuffed salmon ahead of time
As if this recipe could get any better! You can make stuffed salmon with crab well ahead of time by preparing the salmon and crab mixture, stuffing the salmon filets, and then wrapping each one carefully in foil. Keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake.

More salmon recipes to try
I love to cook with salmon and urge you to do the same! It’s a healthy and nutritious choice for both lunch and dinner:
- Smoked Salmon Tacos
- Grilled Asian Salmon
- Salmon Patties With Homemade Tartar Sauce
- Sesame Ginger Baked Salmon
If you give this Crab Stuffed Salmon With Fennel Salad a try, let me know in the comments below. I love seeing your pictures too, so please tag me on Instagram @lenaskitchenblog and use #lenaskitchenblog so I can share them to my page!

Crab Stuffed Salmon With Fennel Salad
Equipment
- baking pan
- knife
Ingredients
- 1 lb salmon, cut in half for two pieces
Crab Stuffing
- 4 oz crab meat, real lump crab meat is best, canned is ok
- ¼ red onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Fennel Salad
- 1/2 bulb fennel, halved and finely shaved
- 1 orange, peeled and sectioned
- 2 cups arugula
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp orange juice
- sea salt, to taste
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF
Crab Stuffing
- Add all the crab stuffing ingredients into a bowl and fold together gently to combine.
Salmon filets
- Cut both salmon filets lengthwise down the center to create space for the stuffing.
- Stuff both filets with crab meat filling and then place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for about 15 minutes or until fully cooked through.
Fennel Salad
- While the salmon is cooking, make the salad. Cut off the fronds from fennel, the cut the bulb in half. Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, slice the fennel thinly. Toss in a bowl with the arugula.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the top and bottom of orange just enough to expose the flesh of the fruit. Begin slicing off the peel, cutting from the top to the bottom, following the curve of the fruit. The goal is to remove all of the pith without sacrificing too much of the edible flesh of the fruit.
- Continue slicing off the orange peel, from top to bottom, moving all the way around the fruit. Go back and cut off any remaining bits of pith. To remove the first segment, cut from the outside to the center just inside the membrane on either side of a section.
- Using the remaining flesh from the orange, squeeze the juice out and mix with olive oil and salt to create the dressing. Toss the salad and add to the plates. Add orange wedges to each plate. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese on each plate. Top with cooked, stuffed salmon and enjoy.

Julie
This crab-stuffed salmon is melt in your mouth delicious and the fennel salad is a delightful burst of flavor in every bite!
lena gladstone
So happy you enjoyed this stunning recipe. Can’t wait to see what you try next.
Kristina
I am making this tonight! Cant wait to try it.
Angela moyseyuk
This salad is a fancy one ! Perfect for lunch date with husband ❤️
Inna
Yummy!! This.looks.amazing! I cannot wait to make it! Girl you always be killing it with them recipes.
Lana
So so good!!!!!