GRILLED SALMON AND CHERRY TOMATOES WITH A BLUEBERRY AND GORGONZOLA SALAD

My mom and I were out in the garden at the lake house when I mentioned that I wanted to grill some cherry tomatoes for dinner. We were admiring the rosemary when she remembered that an herb magazine she had been reading had suggested using rosemary stalks as skewers. So, we cut some rosemary and brought it inside to make skewers for grilling our cherry tomatoes. Since we had so much rosemary to use and had bought salmon that morning, I decided we could grill the salmon too and marinade it with rosemary. And so began a fun and ultimately delicious adventure!

grilled salmon

1 large salmon fillet 
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice from one lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 sprig rosemary

Drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice over the salmon. Sprinkle the minced garlic, salt, and rosemary leaves over the fillet and use your hands to distribute the seasonings properly, flipping over the salmon to coat entirely. Allow the salmon to marinade for two hours. Then preheat the grill to medium heat. Place the salmon on the preheated grill and cook for 6-8 minutes on each side, until flaky when pierced with a fork.

grilled cherry tomatoes on rosemary skewers

15-20 cherry tomatoes

4-5 stalks of rosemary

1/4 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Though this is a little tedious, start by peeling off all of the leaves on the rosemary stalks. Using a toothpick, poke a hole through each cherry tomato, beginning where the tomato was once attached to the plant. Then thread the rosemary stalk through the tomatoes until the stalk is full. Place all of the skewers in a dish and drizzle with olive oil. Coat with the garlic and salt and let marinade while the grill preheats to medium heat. Place on the preheated grill and roast for about 10 minutes on each side, until charred.

blueberry and gorgonzola salad

4 cups greens

1 avocado

3/4 cup blueberries

1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 onion

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Slice the onion very thinly and add to the melted butter. Sauté for about 15 minutes until translucent. Add the brown sugar and sauté for about 10 more minutes until caramelized. Meanwhile, chop the avocado and add to the greens. Add the blueberries and gorgonzola to the salad. Add the balsamic vinegar to the caramelized onions and boil until reduced to a thick sauce. Purée with a hand mixer. Mix in the olive oil, honey, and salt. Let cool before dressing the greens.