There is a distinct moment in spring when winter food stops feeling right. The heavy braises and root vegetable sides that were perfect in January suddenly feel like too much. You want something lighter, brighter, greener — food that tastes like the season is changing.
This spring dinner menu is built around that feeling: fresh ingredients, gentle cooking methods, and flavors that brighten rather than weigh down. It works equally well as a dinner party menu or a special weeknight dinner for the household.
The Menu
Starter: Pea and mint soup with crème fraîche
Main: Herb-crusted salmon with lemon butter sauce
Sides: Roasted asparagus with shaved parmesan, spring pea and farro salad
Dessert: Strawberry shortcake with lightly whipped cream
Starter: Pea and Mint Soup
Fresh or frozen peas blended with chicken or vegetable stock, a handful of mint, a shallot softened in butter, salt, and a squeeze of lemon. Blend until completely smooth, strain for a silkier texture, and adjust seasoning. Serve warm with a small spoonful of crème fraîche and a few fresh mint leaves floating on top.
This soup takes about 20 minutes and can be made a day ahead and gently reheated. Its vivid green color alone signals that spring has arrived.
Main: Herb-Crusted Salmon
Salmon is the quintessential spring protein — lighter than the lamb and beef of winter, with a richness that does not need heavy sauce to feel complete.
Mix together a crust of panko breadcrumbs, finely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, dill, and chives work beautifully), lemon zest, olive oil, salt, and a little Dijon mustard. Press the mixture onto the top of salmon fillets. Roast at 400F for 12 to 15 minutes (depending on thickness) until the crust is golden and the salmon flakes at the thickest point but is still slightly translucent in the center.
Make the lemon butter sauce in a separate small saucepan: reduce white wine with a shallot, then whisk in cold butter cubes over low heat until glossy. Finish with lemon juice and fresh dill. Spoon around (not over) the salmon to preserve the crust.
Side 1: Roasted Asparagus with Shaved Parmesan
Trim the woody ends from a bunch of asparagus, toss with olive oil and salt, and roast at 425F for 8 to 10 minutes until tender and slightly charred at the tips. Transfer to a platter and use a vegetable peeler to shave thin curls of parmesan over the top. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and cracked black pepper.
This side is best made right before serving — asparagus goes from perfectly roasted to overcooked quickly, and it does not hold well.
Side 2: Spring Pea and Farro Salad
Cook farro until tender, drain, and cool. Toss with fresh or thawed frozen peas, thinly sliced radishes, chopped fresh mint and parsley, crumbled feta, and a lemon vinaigrette (lemon juice, olive oil, a little honey, salt, and pepper). This salad can be made several hours ahead and actually improves as it sits — the farro absorbs the dressing and everything melds together.
Serve at room temperature. The combination of chewy farro, sweet peas, and peppery radish hits every textural note in one bowl.
Dessert: Strawberry Shortcake
The first good strawberries of spring deserve the simplest possible treatment. Slice them, toss with a little sugar and a splash of balsamic vinegar, and let them macerate for 30 minutes until they release their juice and become intensely flavorful. Serve over split buttermilk biscuits or toasted pound cake with lightly whipped cream (whip just to soft peaks — it should be barely stiff and very luscious).
The biscuits can be made ahead and rewarmed before serving. Everything else assembles in minutes right before dessert.
Timeline for the Evening
Day before: Make the pea soup, bake the biscuits, prepare the farro salad (underdressed — add final dressing day of).
2 hours before guests arrive: Macerate the strawberries. Prep the salmon herb crust. Make the lemon butter sauce base (add butter right before serving).
30 minutes before: Preheat oven. Bring the pea soup up to temperature. Dress the farro salad.
At dinner time: Roast the salmon and asparagus. Finish the lemon butter sauce. Warm the biscuits. Serve in courses.
Spring cooking is about restraint as much as anything — letting the ingredients speak without overcomplicating them. This menu does exactly that. 🌿