Seared salmon fillets are smothered with spicy cream cheese, topped with butter-fried panko, and baked until the crumbs are browned and the cheese softens to the consistency of a thick sauce.
Cook’s notes
Deconstructed from Conti’s baked salmon that my family fell in love with many years ago. The first time I made it, I used a kilogram of salmon fillet in one piece. Too much for a family of four. I have since learned that it is possible to make it using smaller cuts of salmon fillet.
Don’t take the title as an exact description for the cooking procedure for this dish. It involves a bit more preparation than simply slathering cheese on the fish, sprinkling bread crumbs and baking. If you do that, you won’t get the best flavors and textures. So, do the prep properly.
Marinate the salmon
Season the salmon ahead of time and leave to soak up the flavors. You want the seasoning to permeate the fish flesh all the way. Three hours is the minimum for fillets that are about an inch and a half at the thickest portion.Topping
The topping consists of two parts. The first is the cream cheese. Allow it to soften to room temperature so you can easily mix in the spices. Because additional moisture will just ruin the topping, it’s best to use dried spices. Not much. Dried garlic and onion are enough. The second part of the topping is the crumbs. We use panko at home. Panko by itself is bland. So, the crumbs are tossed in melted salted butter. If you use unsalted butter, just stir a pinch or two of salt into the butter while melting it before adding the bread crumbs.Sear the salmon
Sear the salmon on both sides in a little butter. Searing gives the fish texture and added flavor. It also makes the surface less slippery so that the toppings stay in place better.Cheesy baked salmon with crispy crumb topping
Ingredients
- 600 grams salmon fillet (1.3 pounds)
- 2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning
- 175 grams cream cheese (6 oz) at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
- ½ teaspoon dried garlic flakes
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- ½ cup panko
Instructions
- Wipe the salmon fillet with paper towels and rub the lemon pepper seasoning directly on the flesh.
- Marinate in the fridge in a covered container for at least three hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Take the salmon out of the fridge to allow to come to room temperature.
- Mix the cream cheese, onion flakes and garlic flakes.
- Melt two tablespoons butter in a frying pan, add the panko and cook until the crumbs have absorbed all the butter.
- Wipe the frying pan and melt the remaining butter.
- Lay the salmon fillet in the hot butter, skin side up and sear for a minute. Flip and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Arrange in the salmon fillet, skin side down, in a baking tray lined with foil or non-stick paper.
- Spread the cream cheese on the entire top of the salmon.
- Lightly but firmly press the panko onto the cream cheese.
- Bake the salmon in the oven for 10 minutes or until the crumbs are browned.
- Serve the cheesy baked salmon with crispy crumb topping with your vegetables of choice.
Chicken and apple stew