Salmon, Baked Stuffed with Mascarpone & Spinach

By Wilda

Easy and delicious. If you do not have Mascarpone, use cream cheese with a little cream added to soften it a little. A great make ahead recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 10 oz. bag fresh spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup cream cheese (4 oz.) at room temp.
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, room temp.
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 8- 6 oz. salmon fillets, center cut (each about 1 " thick)
• Olive oil
• 2 2/3 cups fresh bread crumbs from French bread with crust
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Step 1

Cook spinach in lg. pot of boiling water until just wilted, about 30 sec. Drain: rinse with cold water. You can also use frozen spinach, just cooked until tender. Squeeze spinach dry, then finely chop. Place in small bowl, mix in cream cheese and mascarpone cheese and ground nutmeg. You can make the filling 2-3 days in advance. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cut a 3-4" slit about 1/2 down salmon forming a pocket for spinach mixture. Fill each slit with mixture, about 1 T. per fillet, or a little more if you want. Before filling, sprinkle inside and top with salt and pepper. You can make up to 6 hours ahead and cover and chill.

Mix bread crumbs, melted butter, and Parmesan cheese in med. bowl. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil, place stuffed fillets on pan. Top each with breadcrumb mixture, pressing to adhere. Bake salmon until opaque in center about 12 minutes. Transfer to plates and serve.

From Wilda, my favorite recipe.