Cedar Plank Crab-Stuffed Salmon
Dive into a culinary delight with our Cedar Plank Crab-Stuffed Salmon! This dish features succulent salmon enveloping a luscious crab mixture, bursting with flavor and seasoned just right. Cooked on a cedar plank, it infuses every bite with a deliciously smoky aroma that will have your taste buds dancing!
Prep
15
min
Cook
20
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(2)
- fresh lemon juice (15 ml)
- parsley
🥩Meat & Seafood(2)
- lump crab meat (240 ml)
- salmon (454 g)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- butter (114 g)
- heavy cream (60 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(5)
- chili powder
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- smoked paprika
- salt and pepper
🍯Sauces & Condiments(2)
- Dijon mustard (15 ml)
- Worcestershire sauce (5 ml)
📦Other(1)
- mayo (60 ml)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
411
Protein
34g
Carbs
5g
Fat
31g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Get your lump crab meat, add that to a bowl, then hit that with a little mayo, throw in some Dijon mustard, a little bit of that Worcestershire sauce, squeeze in some fresh lemon juice, then hit it with some seasoning including smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, and parsley. Mix that up really good.
- 2
Cut some slits onto the top of your salmon, season it generously with the seasoning mixture, then scoop a big amount of the lump crab mixture on top of your salmon. Soak the cedar plank in water if you're grilling to prevent burning. Add that to the grill at about 350 to 400 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- 3
For the creamy butter sauce, melt some butter, add the same seasoning, and hit it with a splash of heavy cream.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Pick through lump crab meat with your fingers or tweezers for 2-3 minutes to remove shell fragments and cartilage before mixing; this prevents bitter, gritty texture that masks the delicate crab flavor and disrupts the mayo emulsion.technique2-3 minutes inspection
- ✓Soak your cedar plank for 45-60 minutes in room temperature water, not hot water, so the wood absorbs moisture evenly (reaching 60-70% internal moisture) and smolders rather than ignites at 350-400°F.timing45-60 minutes, 60-70% moisture content
- ✓Use 2 parts mayo to 1 part lemon juice in your crab mixture (approximately 3:1.5 ratio) because the acid in lemon curdles excess mayo; this ratio prevents the emulsion from breaking while still brightening the filling.ingredient2:1 mayo-to-lemon ratio
- ✓Score the salmon skin in a crosshatch pattern with ¼-inch cuts before stuffing so the crab filling makes direct contact with the flesh (not just sitting on top), improving heat transfer and ensuring even cooking in your 15-20 minute window at 350-400°F.technique¼-inch depth crosshatch
- ✓Add your heavy cream to the butter sauce off-heat after melting, whisking constantly, because cream added to actively heating butter (above 180°F) can break from the fat separating out of emulsion.timingAdd at <180°F
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
20
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Cedar Plank Crab-Stuffed Salmon
Dive into a culinary delight with our Cedar Plank Crab-Stuffed Salmon! This dish features succulent salmon enveloping a luscious crab mixture, bursting with flavor and seasoned just right. Cooked on a cedar plank, it infuses every bite with a deliciously smoky aroma that will have your taste buds dancing!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(2)
- fresh lemon juice (15 ml)
- parsley
🥩Meat & Seafood(2)
- lump crab meat (240 ml)
- salmon (454 g)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- butter (114 g)
- heavy cream (60 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(5)
- chili powder
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- smoked paprika
- salt and pepper
🍯Sauces & Condiments(2)
- Dijon mustard (15 ml)
- Worcestershire sauce (5 ml)
📦Other(1)
- mayo (60 ml)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
411
Protein
34g
Carbs
5g
Fat
31g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Get your lump crab meat, add that to a bowl, then hit that with a little mayo, throw in some Dijon mustard, a little bit of that Worcestershire sauce, squeeze in some fresh lemon juice, then hit it with some seasoning including smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, and parsley. Mix that up really good.
- 2
Cut some slits onto the top of your salmon, season it generously with the seasoning mixture, then scoop a big amount of the lump crab mixture on top of your salmon. Soak the cedar plank in water if you're grilling to prevent burning. Add that to the grill at about 350 to 400 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- 3
For the creamy butter sauce, melt some butter, add the same seasoning, and hit it with a splash of heavy cream.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Pick through lump crab meat with your fingers or tweezers for 2-3 minutes to remove shell fragments and cartilage before mixing; this prevents bitter, gritty texture that masks the delicate crab flavor and disrupts the mayo emulsion.technique2-3 minutes inspection
- ✓Soak your cedar plank for 45-60 minutes in room temperature water, not hot water, so the wood absorbs moisture evenly (reaching 60-70% internal moisture) and smolders rather than ignites at 350-400°F.timing45-60 minutes, 60-70% moisture content
- ✓Use 2 parts mayo to 1 part lemon juice in your crab mixture (approximately 3:1.5 ratio) because the acid in lemon curdles excess mayo; this ratio prevents the emulsion from breaking while still brightening the filling.ingredient2:1 mayo-to-lemon ratio
- ✓Score the salmon skin in a crosshatch pattern with ¼-inch cuts before stuffing so the crab filling makes direct contact with the flesh (not just sitting on top), improving heat transfer and ensuring even cooking in your 15-20 minute window at 350-400°F.technique¼-inch depth crosshatch
- ✓Add your heavy cream to the butter sauce off-heat after melting, whisking constantly, because cream added to actively heating butter (above 180°F) can break from the fat separating out of emulsion.timingAdd at <180°F