Copycat Costco Seafood-Stuffed Salmon

ImageThis is based on the real components used in Costco stuffed salmon, except the kind of gross Stove Top Stuffing mix has been replaced with natural ingredients. I love this dish and I know my mom loves it too! It’s actually very simple to put together and produces far better results than the store bought version. It’s easy to get the three main seafood ingredients if you have a boyfriend with a little fishing boat and you live on Vancouver Island. I’m so lucky!

Copycat Costco Stuffed Salmon

6 wild salmon filet portions (plus salt and pepper to season)
1 cup cooked white or brown rice (1/2 cup uncooked rice + 1 cup water)
1 cup fresh cooked crab meat
1 cup fresh cooked prawns, chopped roughly
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 T salted butter
1/2 large yellow onion, minced
1-2 large garlic cloves, minced
4 T mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 t fresh ground pepper, ground sage, ground rosemary, celery seed
1 t kosher salt, paprika, dill (1 T fresh), parsley (1 T fresh)
1 T fresh lemon juice plus lemon wedges for garnish
1 T olive oil
1/4 t cayenne (optional)

Rinse rice and cook or use leftover rice. Saute onion in butter on medium-high heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one more minute. Add breadcrumbs and spices and toss well, saute for one more minute. Transfer to bowl and add the rest of the ingredients except the olive oil and the salmon. Mix well.

Slice a slit lengthwise down the middle of each salmon filet and divide your portions of stuffing into balls, pressing them firmly into the centers of each steak. Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium-high, season your salmon with salt and pepper and cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side depending on thickness and desired doneness. Allow to rest off heat for 3 minutes before serving. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Serves six but uncooked extras will keep in the fridge for up to three days, so dinner for two for three days in a row, maybe?

Catch of the Day

ImageToday after a long day of work I was surprised with a most wonderful gift, a huge Chinook salmon, freshly caught for me by my very talented boyfriend. We don’t have a scale, but he seemed to us both to be about 17 pounds. He has now been cleaned and dressed, and shares shelf space in the fridge with fresh Red Rock and Dungeness crab, spot prawns and tiger prawns, and beautiful rock cod and kelp greenling filets, all caught by the two of us in the past two days. I plan to use the salmon, crab and prawns to make a copycat Costco stuffed salmon. If it works we will be eating a lot of them, I can promise you.

Tomorrow we have a full, fun day of fishing planned and I will be collecting some sea asparagus at the marina as a side dish. The poultry may get to try some if there’s any left over. They’ve been very happy to clean up all the fish heads and guts for us in the meantime. Here’s hoping for calm seas!