Green bean salad with grilled salmon — Foodie Friday

With summer officially arriving today (Friday, June 21, at 11:54 a.m.), our Foodie Friday dish is a delicious summer green bean salad. It is the perfect accompaniment to grilled fish, chicken, or steak.

With the first veggies coming out of my garden, this is one of my faves for color, flavor, and ease of preparation.

The key is to blanch the beans in boiling water for NO MORE than six minutes, then plunge them into cold water. This leaves the beans crisp, and preserves their deep green color. Sweet grape tomatoes and tangy red onion combine with white beans and olives to provide a flavor-packed dish that is perfect for any backyard BBQ.

Dress the salad with some olive oil and white balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

I'll also show you a quick and easy way to grill salmon, and the cleanup is a snap!

Your shopping list is below, then watch the video for how to make it.

Special thanks to Amalfis Restaurant & Bar in Lawrenceville for making these videos possible.

Shopping List: 

• 3 cups fresh picked green beans (washed and trimmed)
• 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes (halved)
• 1/2 medium red onion (sliced)
• 1 can white beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 small can black olives
• Crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Eric Scott is Vice President, Senior Political Director and Director of Special Projects for New Jersey 101.5. He anchors "New Jersey's First News" and weekday morning newscasts from 5 to 10 a.m., in addition to hosting a bimonthly Town Hall series.

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