Sunday Dinner: Blueberry Salad and Salmon with Blueberry Sauce

One thing I love about Sunday’s is the chance to make a big family style Sunday dinner. Spending hours in the kitchen chopping, prepping and cooking is truly relaxing. Today we decided on a Blueberry Hazelnut Spinach Salad, Salmon with Blueberry Pan Sauce, some roasted broccoli with lemon and garlic and the star of the show fresh Minnesota Sweet Corn.

 

We invited Mike’s dad over for dinner and to catch up, it has been about a month since he has been over. Between our trips out of town, a Canadian fishing trip for Jim and just busy schedules we have not had enough Sunday dinners over the past 8 weeks.

 

Blueberry Hazelnut Spinach Salad

Salad Ingredients

 

4 cups baby spinach, washed

1 cup pea pods

1 chopped red pepper, chopped

1/2 cup blueberries

2 tbsp toasted hazelnut

3 oz herb goat cheese

 

Dressing Ingredients

 

2 tbsp White Wine Vinegar

2 tbsp Blueberry Balsamic Vinegar (From the Olive Grove)

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

1/2 tsp Lemon Zest

2/3 cup Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

 

Directions

 

Add spinach, vegetables, blueberries, toasted hazelnuts and goat cheese to large bowl

 

In a smaller bowl whisk together white wine vinegar, balsamic, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, olive oil and salt/pepper.

 

Top salad with dressing and enjoy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salmon with Blueberry Pan Sauce

 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil plus additional for brushing
• 3/4 cup sliced shallots
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt plus additional for seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme plus additional for seasoning (we used dried thyme)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice plus additional for seasoning
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (we used our Blueberry Balsamic)
• 4 7-ounce salmon steaks or fillets with skin (each about 3/4 inch thick)
• 3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint, divided (we omitted)

Preparation

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, and 1/8 teaspoon allspice. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add blueberries, 1/4 cup water, and vinegar. Stir to blend. Mash berries with potato masher or back of fork and cook until sauce thickens, stirring often, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Remove from heat. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm before using.

• Brush grill rack with oil. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush salmon on both sides with oil; sprinkle with coarse salt, thyme, allspice, and black pepper.

• Grill salmon until just opaque in center, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plates. Stir 2 tablespoons sliced mint into warm blueberry sauce. Spoon sauce over salmon and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon mint. Serve immediately.

 

 

 

 

Typical wine pairings for salmon include Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio or other mineraly whites, often Italian for a non-oaky flavor. We chose a  Il Papavero 2009 Pinot Grigio from Sicily and had a nice light flavor that paired well with the salmon.

 

 

 

 

It wouldn’t be a complete meal without a few veggies, I made a quick roasted broccoli with a bit of garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest and a topping of parmesan right when the broccoli was out of the oven. While we needed broccoli to complete the meal we absolutely had to have fresh Minnesota corn. I was hungry enough to polish off two and a half ears! So sweet and crunchy. I wish corn was available all year.

 

 

 

 

A beautiful Sunday dinner with family, good food, a nice wine and a perfect evening of weather. Life doesn’t get much better!