Crab Stuffed Salmon with Orzo Salad

Crab Stuffed Salmon with Orzo Salad Dish Guide

Serves 4

For the Orzo Salad

8 oz Orzo pasta, cooked per package directions

1 bell pepper, diced

10-15 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 green onions, minced

Juice of 1 lemon

¼ cup olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Prep the pasta and veggies as described. Mix the veggies and orzo in a large bowl. Toss with the lemon juice and oil and season to taste. Add more lemon juice (or vinegar) if desired.

For the Crab Stuffed Salmon

Four 8 oz salmon filets

4 oz cream cheese (at room temperature)

1 egg

1 T mayonnaise

1 t Dijon mustard

1 t Worcestershire sauce

1 t old bay seasoning

1 T freshly chopped dill

¼ cup (at least) of plain breadcrumbs

8 oz crab meat

1 T olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a bowl mix the cream cheese, egg, mayo, mustard, Worcestershire, old bay and dill. Stir to combine thoroughly. Add the breadcrumbs and stir until the consistency of wet sand. Add more breadcrumbs if mixture is still “liquid”. Add the crab and season to taste. Gently incorporate the crab and cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Cut each salmon filet in half from top to bottom but do not go all the way through the skin. You are creating a crease or pouch to stuff. Season the filets with salt and pepper.

Generously stuff each piece of salmon, mounding the crab filling up on top of the filet once the crease is full.

Add 1 T of olive oil to an oven-safe skillet and heat over medium high. Add the salmon skin side down and sear for 60-90 second. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and place it in the center of a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until the middle of the salmon registers 135 degrees F.

Don’t worry about the salmon “drying out” as the crab stuffing gives you a lot of “thermal insurance”.

For the Beurre Blanc

1 large shallot, minced

1 T olive oil

¼ cup dry white wine

1 T white vinegar

4 T cold unsalted butter

Salt to taste

Add the shallot and oil to a pan over high heat and cook for 2-3 minutes or until shallots are translucent. Add the wine and vinegar and reduce by half. Turn heat to low and begin swirling in the butter 1-2 T at a time. Once you add the last pad of butter, turn the heat off and swirl it in gently. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.

To Serve

Plate a generous bed of orzo salad. Lay down a few slices of fresh lemon. Place the salmon on the lemon slices and drizzle the beurre blanc over the fish. Garnish with fresh dill or other herb and serve immediately.