By Stephen John
Salmon has long enjoyed well-deserved regard among foodies as one of life’s great delicacies. Even with the general public who usually prefer beef to fish, salmon has become very popular.
Salmon in itself is considered a healthy dish, but you can enjoy a healthier salmon meal with a leaf wrapped stuffed salmon. As the name suggest, it’s salmon stuffed with bread crumbs, almonds, and parsley, and wrapped with steamed or boiled lettuce or sorrel leaves. The stuffing can be so good you would actually want an extra batch in a separate dish or a hollowed-out lemon. Without further ado, here’s your recipe for this mouth-watering salmon presentation.
For the Wrap, You Will Need:
- 3 heads lettuce (butter type) or 1 pound fresh sorrel leaves
For the Lemon-Almond Stuffing:
- 1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
- 1 cup unblanched almond
- 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon or thyme leaves
- 1 cup fresh parsley sprigs
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ pound unsalted butter, softened
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Ground cayenne pepper
- 1 whole 5- to 8-pound salmon, dressed and boned
- Salmon caviar or cooked crayfish for garnish
How to Prepare
1.) Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2.) Dip the lettuce or sorrel leaves in boiling water for about 10 seconds. Remove leaves immediately and place in a bowl of ice water. Drain and spread out on paper towel.
3.) To make the stuffing, combine almonds, bread crumbs, and parsley in a blender or food processor. Process until coarsely chopped and well mixed. Add tarragon or thyme, lemon zest and juice, and butter. Mix thoroughly and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.
4.) Rinse the salmon under running water and pat dry using paper towel.
5.) Stuff the cavity of the salmon with the mixture and place the fish on a baking sheet.
6.) Drain the blanched lettuce or sorrel leaves and wrap the fish in the leaves, overlapping them as you work and covering the fish completely with several layers.
7.) Bake the salmon until the flesh is barely opaque throughout, about 10 minutes per inch of thickness
8.) Garnish with caviar or crayfish and serve immediately or at room temperature. To serve, cut the fish crosswise into 1-inch thick slices.
Serves 6 to 12.
Tips: Serve the salmon with lemon and butter. For individual servings, divide the stuffing and wrapping among six one-pound farm-raised fish.
About the Author: Stephen John is a food and wine enthusiast. He blogs about food, wine, and culture and writes wine reviews for a living. He loves pairing his salmon dish with a bottle of his favourite Penfolds Vintage
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Wow, Micheal, I love the recipe. I am a big fan of making all kinds of lettuce wraps, but never considered salmon, mainly, because I am noticing a consistency shift in the texture of salmon over the last few years. You mentioned using farm raised salmon, am I just mistaken that the texture of the meat seems different?
Regardless, I am always happy when I discover a new ‘foodie’ perspective. The use of tarragon makes a nice pairing. This herb is very underused here in the states, but I am looking forward to trying with salmon. Thanks so much for the great article.
Justin, This recipe is from a guest – Stephen John, I wish I could take credit for such a fantastic recipe! I will be trying it myself 😉
Hi Justin!
I’m glad you liked this recipe. I love it, too, especially if it’s my wife who prepares it for me. I’m also thankful to Michael for letting me share this through his website. Regarding farm-raised salmon, I mentioned it simply because nearly all salmon we eat are farm-raised and it’s very seldom for us to eat wild-caught salmon. If I were to choose, however, I would go for wild salmon whenever possible. Again, I’m glad you liked it and thanks for the comment.
Cheers!
I love salmon, unfortunately my husband doesn’t like it, so I mostly cook it when he’s away. It sounds really yummy to wrap it up like that.
I always love finding salmon recipes, Stephen.
Salmon is not only tasty, but a very healthy form of protein and omega oils. I like it in all forms, but this is a great one to test.
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Okay, I admit you completely took me by surprise. I did not know you could cook lettuce!! But this sounds delicious and wonderfully healthful. I’d love to try it some time!
Willena
Yes, Willena, you definitely can cook lettuce. LOL! Thanks, and I’m glad you are willing to give it a try. 🙂
DEEElicious Michael 😉
Thanks for sharing!
Ryan
Hey Micheal, This is an Awesome Recipe I cannot wait to get to the store to get me some salmon YUMMY Thanks for sharing Chery 🙂
What a great recipe and what I most love of it is that is is easy and it must be… tasty too!
Salmon is one of m favorite fish not only because it is healthy but also becuase the taste of it is strong and delicious.
It is on my plate minimum once per week..
I will defininately try your recipe Michael.
Wow! I didn’t expect people will love this recipe. I mean, it’s not that super special. I am humbled, guys. Thank you so much for the kind comments and I really hope you will enjoy the experience of preparing this meal like I did.
I rarely get to eat good fish, especially fresh and local… mainly because I live in the midwest US and I don’t go fishing. Salmon, I usually eat in patty… not as appetizing as your recipe. Any suggestions on good places to find fresh fish like salmon in my next of the woods?
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