This 3 course meal idea features all the highlights of a restaurant with the incredible addition of your favorite things featuring grilled salmon. Add a bottle of your favorite wine or cocktail and you have a perfect 3-course dinner.
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Whether it’s Valentine’s Day or a special date night, sometimes having an easy way to put together a fancy 3-course meal helps. And you don’t need to sell out ridiculous sums of money to it either.
And if you are a parent or a couple always on the go sometimes slowing down to spend time together goes a long way. To make this 3 course meal easy we’re focusing on a charcuterie and cheese plate for the first course, followed by grilled salmon, and finished with a great make ahead truffle so you can focus on the main dish and the company.
Course One: Cheese and Charcuterie Plate
Starting with appetizers. We’re huge fans of cheese plates around here. So when it comes to date night we hit the store for a selection of cheeses and local charcuterie. I always get at least 2-3 different kinds of cheese (a hard cheese, a soft cheese, and something fun like a smoky blue), some spicy salumi or prosciutto, something crunchy (salty Marcona almonds in this case), and something sweet (quince and/or honey).
Make sure to add some grill roasted garlic to spread on that bread and for even more fun consider a grilled baked brie with wine. Have some time in advance? Make smoked almonds.
For the main dish you have several options. But I love salmon for a date night.
Course Two: Salmon
Before owning a grill or smoker I’d make salmon similar to they do in a restaurant; by starting the cook on the stovetop, and then finishing in the oven over broil to crisp up the top. It really is a great way to cook salmon without a smoker or grill. But with your grill or smoker, you can create even better salmon dishes! No oven needed.
Grilled salmon comes together in less than 30 minutes and can have so many variations. One that is elegant and full of flavor is our Grilled Orange Salmon with Maple Glaze.
Additional Salmon Dinner Ideas
- Maple Chipotle Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon
- Easy and Tender Smoked Salmon Fillet
- Perfect Grilled Salmon
For a side we love to add potatoes. We have a great oven roasted potato recipe that is perfectly roasted with crispy crunch and soft interior. Or you can step it up a notch with our duck fat roasted potatoes.
Explore all our side recipes.
Course Three: Dessert
I’m ridiculously indecisive when it comes to choosing a dessert. I want to try everything! The nice thing about making dinner at home is that you CAN have everything. I like to go to the dessert counter at my local market or bakery and choose a few small bites whether cakes or truffles.
Again for a three course meal we want easy and delicious and we put our energy into the main salmon course.
Additional Dessert Ideas You Can Make
- Smoked Pot de Creme
- Grilled Apple Crisp
- Grilled Strawberry Sundaes
- Smoked Whipped Cream
- Grilled Blackberry Crostata
- Red Wine Truffles
Bonus Course: Wine
The best part of date night at home is that you can splurge a little on the wine since you’re saving money by eating at home instead of paying restaurant markups.
Start with a glass of sparkling wine (as all good dates should!). Then move onto a nice Pinot Noir for the salmon. My favorite pairings for our salmon recipes is usually Oregon Pinot Noir. Oregon Pinot Noir and Salmon is a match made in heaven. A few of my favorite Oregon Pinot Noir producers include: Stoller Family Estate, Soter Vineyards, Eminent Domain, Cristom, Patricia Green Cellars, The Eyrie Vineyards, Bergström, J. Christopher, and so many more!
Finish with a nice fruity Zinfandel to pair with any dessert or even a sweet wine like port or dessert white wine.
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Michelle says
This is a fantastic idea! Thanks for sharing!
Jenny says
That’s my kind of meal! Yummy!!! I would love the Salmon recipe.
Chelsie says
That Salmon looks AMAZING! I think a salmon dish is the perfect romantic dinner for Valentine’s Day!
Mary says
Thanks so much! It tastes amazing too 🙂
Keturah says
Yummy! This all looks amazing 🙂 I love a good Pinot noir and that cheese plate looks delicious.
Mary says
Thank you! I keep staring at that cheese plate. I think I need an excuse to make another one. It’s Wednesday! Is that excuse enough???
Frugal Mom of 8 says
This sounds like the perfect Valentines dinner!
Mary says
Thanks! It’s great for Valentine’s Day, or really any date night in 🙂
Andrea says
My husband would love a salmon dinner. I am going to have to give this a try for sure. Looks amazing
Mary says
Thanks!! 🙂
Warren @ Blog to Taste says
Dinner at home is always better! It’s more relaxed, personal and special. This salmon looks exquisite by the way. I love the idea of broiling it to create a crispy outer crust. YUM!
Mary says
It truly creates the perfectly crisp on the outside moist on the inside salmon! So good!
Elaine says
Yep that would be a perfect romantic dinner!! Yum! I wish my husband liked salmon….
Mary says
Ohh bummer. If it was once alive my husband will eat it. It’s veggies I have to convince him of 😉
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says
This looks awesome! I love a great cheese platter. Salmon is our favorite for special dinners too. And how can you go wrong with dessert … especially chocolate.
Nicole says
This looks wonderful! I always like new fish recipes.
Rhiannon says
Love the idea of having Valentine’s Dinner at home. We’re actually going to a wine makers dinner at one of my favorite wineries (after an afternoon of rhone-style wines), always love getting pairing inspiration to use at home.
Mary says
Ohhh well that sounds like a pretty amazing Valentine’s dinner too! Have a great time!
kristen says
That salmon looks incredible! And I am so with you on dessert, a little bit of everything!
Erin says
What a beautiful delicious looking meal! I am definitely adding that salmon recipe to my list.
Vet Leow says
This is totally having restaurant standard food and beautiful dishes in the comforts of your own home without the crazy prices! Thanks for sharing this…
swell condition says
That salmon dinner looks soooo good!! I’d much rather stay at home on V Day too, save going out for a night that’s not so busy everywhere!
Jen says
Great ideas! I always make dinner at home for VD, and just about every other celebration day. Saves money and you get exactly what you want…
Geoff (Steep Stories) says
Reading this how-to guide to V-Day mealing – while enlightening – made me glad I’m still single. (And I’d totally be one of those amateurs if I weren’t.)
Mary says
😉
Marlynn @ UrbanBlissLife says
This salmon looks amazing! I just had the latest vintage of Davis Bynum Chardonnay while in Sonoma and it was soooo incredible. I also love the idea of getting several little bites at a local bakery for dessert…mainly because I can never choose just one 😉 Cheers!
Mary says
That’s exactly how I am. I want to taste everything 😉
And yes, Davis Bynum makes some lovely wines!!
Catherine says
I love getting a little this and that for dessert, too! Why eat a giant slice of cake when you can share pieces of multiple cupcakes? Or even break truffles in half to share?
Mary says
Exactly!!! 🙂