Spinach and artichoke dip stuffed salmon
The Story
Spinach and artichoke dip is such a perfect flavor profile (I even have my own version of artichoke dip, which you can easily add spinach to). It’s full of vegetables, so health LOL, but mixed with cheese and lemon it’s creamy, rich, zesty, and has everything you could possibly want. I’ve done spin-offs of this classic American starter in everything from a quiche to empanadas and dumplings. And I’m not the only one…it’s apparently very Southern to take any excuse you can to turn this dip into dinner.
The good thing about this application is that you can easily throw the filling together using pantry items and frozen veg, adding just a couple of fresh ingredients to bump up the flavor. I’ve paired the filling with salmon, but you could just as easily use the same mixture to stuff a chicken breast or wrapped inside pork or even beef before searing and baking off in the oven. To make it extra easy, I cook mine in the air fryer, but you can also use the oven.
I serve it with my grilled butternut squash and onions with feta, dill, and spices side dish, but feel free to be creative with what you serve it with. Although spinch and artichoke dip has its own pronounced flavor profile, which I’ve translated into the stuffing for the salmon, it pairs nicely with a variety of other flavors. For a handful of suggestions, try my fried smashed potatoes with gremolata, brussel sprouts with hazelnuts and parm, or zucchini with garlic crispies.
Difficulty: 1 on a scale of 1-5
Active time to prepare: 30 minutes
Total time to prepare: 30 minutes
Serves: 4
The Ingredients
For the spinach and artichoke dip filling:
2 Tbsp./28 g olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
4 garlic cloves minced
1 7 oz./200 g can of artichokes or frozen
7 oz./200 g frozen spinach
1/2 cup/113 g Philadelphia cream cheese
1 Tbsp./3 g lemon zest
Juice of one lemon
2 Tbsp./30 g minced dill
4 ounces/112 g feta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
For the salmon and assembly:
4 portions of salmon (4 ounces/114 g)
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp./28 g olive oil
The Recipe
For the spinach and artichoke dip filling:
In a large sauté pan, add the olive oil. When shimmering, add the onion and garlic.
Cook until softened for 7 or 8 minutes. Remove from the pan into a medium bowl.
Defrost the artichokes (if using frozen), and the spinach in the microwave until just thawed. Squeeze out excess water and place on a cutting board and roughly chop to ensure there are no big pieces of anything. Add to the bowl with the cooked onions and garlic.
Add the cream cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, and feta cheese. Mix to combine.
Check for seasoning. Set aside.
For the salmon and assembly:
Preheat the oven to 220° C/425° F or the air fryer to 205° C/400° F.
Cut a slit in each portion of salmon leaving a small piece of the filet whole so that the filling doesn’t all squeeze out.
Season each filet with salt and pepper.
Add enough filling to plump up each salmon filet, but without it spilling over. And place on a baking sheet or the solid (meaning, non-perforated) air fryer tray.
Drizzle each portion with olive oil.
Cook until just cooked through and the filling is warm (you can insert a small knife in the filling and place it to your lip to make sure the filling is warmed through). Around 7.5 minutes in the oven and 6 minutes in the air fryer.
DO AHEAD: You can make the filling up to 2 days in advance. Store in an airtight container.
LEFTOVERS: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature and reheat in the oven or air fryer.
