Stuff It... Stuff It Real Good

:) while the rest of that tune is going in my head, I wanted to post about this amazing stuffed salmon. So delicious and easy, perfect for entertaining!! My aunt first made this for me a couple of years ago, it this is surely a keeper. This was actually my first time making it (although I've eaten it many times), so I didn't do quite the best job slicing into the gorgeous piece of salmon, but it all worked out in the end! A montage, to illustrate what I might not be able to describe well...


Stuffed Salmon
Recipe from Aunt Lorraine


1 salmon fillet, rinsed and patted dry
~10oz spinach (fresh or frozen works)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
EVOO
3-4oz goat cheese
hot sauce (I used Franks' buffalo sauce)

Preheat the oven to 350deg. In large nonstick skillet, heat ~1T EVOO over medium-low heat. Add garlic and saute 1-2min, then add washed spinach and cook until wilted. (If you're using frozen, be sure to squeeze all the water out of the defrosted spinach, and just cook it with the garlic until the chill is off) Remove from heat and let mixture cool.

In a baking dish (I think I used a 9x13 pan here), add some hot sauce and then the salmon. Do your best and try to cut through the middle of the thickest part of the fillet (there's usually a hump that's thicker than the rest, this is where you want to make a pocket). No worries, I did an aweful job at this and no one noticed :)

Add your cooked spinach to the larger part of the salmon, as evenly (or unevenly) as you'd like, then crumble up the goat cheese. Fold over the flap of salmon you cut to encase the stuffing. Pour some more hot sauce on top of the salmon. If any guests don't want the added flava, you can also squeeze some lemon juice on top (the lemon slices were more to distinguish which portion lacked hot sauce, I don't think she actually ate them). Bake for 20-30min, depending on the size of your fillet. Voila!


So so good. The goat cheese melts and the flavor combination is fantastic. Never would've put the hot sauce there, but it really works. I'm sure this would also be good with spinach, feta, and pine nuts as the stuffing... i'm just partial to goat cheese :) Who wouldn't be impressed being served this for dinner? ok, well, you might want to transfer it to a nice serving plate...