Food Holidays & Occasions Valentine's Day 18 Impressive Recipes for Valentine's Day Dinner By Bridget Hallinan Bridget Hallinan As an Associate Food Editor, Bridget Hallinan primarily focuses on home cooking content for Food & Wine.com. She writes and edits recipe content, interviews chefs for helpful tips and tricks, and works on franchises such as our cookbook roundups and taste tests. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 20, 2023 Close Photo: Aubrie Pick You have two choices for Valentine's Day dinner: jockey for a reservation, or make a meal from scratch. If you decide to cook, we've gathered a few elegant recipes to help fill out your menu. Think earthy mushroom and truffle pasta, Nobu's classic black cod with miso, and fragrant Thai-spiced rib eyes, with a few salads and vegetable sides to match, too. Add a nice bottle of wine and some candles, and you'll be glad you stayed in. 01 of 18 Lobster Thermidor Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell Classic lobster thermidor stuffs gently cooked lobster meat back in its shell with a wine-based sauce and a touch of cheese before coming together under the broiler. We can't think of anything more impressive (and delicious) for date night. Get the Recipe 02 of 18 Moroccan-Style Lamb Shanks Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless Red wine, tomatoes, harissa, almonds, mint, and cilantro give these slow-braised lamb shanks lots of bright flavor. Serve the lamb over couscous for an easy but impressive meal. Get the Recipe 03 of 18 Farro Mafaldine with Black Truffle Butter and Mushrooms Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Truffles are undeniably a special occasion ingredient, and there’s no better time to use them than a Valentine’s Day dinner. This elegant yet hearty dish pairs creamy butter, nutty farro pasta, and a fortifying mix of wild mushrooms with just enough truffle to elevate each forkful. Get the Recipe 04 of 18 Prakas' Rib Eye Aubrie Pick Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano adds an unexpected hit of nutty, sweet flavor to rib eye steaks marinated in Thai seasoning sauce, white pepper, and soy sauce. Stirring fresh Thai basil into the warm steak and tomatoes just before serving allows it to gently perfume the whole dish. Get the Recipe 05 of 18 Oysters with Yuzu Kosho Mignonette Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Victoria Granof / Prop Styling by Karin Olsen This simple appetizer is perfect for romantic special occasions. The dish combines citrusy and slightly spicy yuzu kosho with briny oysters on the half shell. Get the Recipe 06 of 18 Venetian Shrimp with Polenta Victor Protasio Inspired by Schie con Polenta in Venice, Italy, David McCann tops simple polenta with garlicky, buttery shrimp he's cooked in white wine and chicken stock. Get the Recipe 07 of 18 Cocoa-Spiced Steaks with Red Wine–Chocolate Sauce Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely These special occasion-worthy steaks start with a cocoa powder spice rub and finish with a luxurious red wine pan sauce. When combined with sweet paprika, allspice, and cayenne pepper, the cocoa powder offers a delicious, rounding earthiness in the spice rub. You won’t taste chocolate outright, but rather a depth of savory flavor that heightens the meatiness of the steak. Get the Recipe 08 of 18 Scallop Grenobloise Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Grenobloise means in the style of the southeastern French city of Grenoble, and refers to a classic French sauce of lemon and capers. Here, beautifully seared scallops with a golden crust are served in a sauce popping with acidity from lemon, brininess from capers, and slight warmth from mildly piquant jalapeños. Get the Recipe 09 of 18 Pomegranate-Glazed Salmon with Oranges, Olives, and Herbs Antonis Achilleos Rich salmon is brightened up by winter citrus, paired with tartness from pomegranate molasses and butteriness from Castelvetrano olives. Get the Recipe 10 of 18 Roast Chicken with Hot Honey John Kernick Save any leftover hot honey from this recipe to drizzle on pizza, cheese plates, and more. Get the Recipe 11 of 18 Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Strawberry–Merlot Sauce Victor Protasio Chef Alex Hrabovsky leans on savory pork drippings and lush Merlot to balance the sweet-tart strawberries in this rich sauce for pork tenderloin. A gentle finish in the oven keeps the pan drippings from over-reducing. Get the Recipe 12 of 18 Grilled Lobster Tails with Stelline and Lemon Antonis Achilleos Paula Disbrowe loves to make grilled lobster tails for Valentine’s Day, serving them over stelline (a small, star-shaped pasta) with a nice glass of white wine on the side. Get the Recipe 13 of 18 Black Cod with Miso Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Chef Nobu Matsuhisa's iconic, buttery miso cod recipe is both easy and elegant. This streamlined recipe delivers all the luxury and flavor in a fraction of the time. Get the Recipe 14 of 18 Gnocchi with Roast Chicken, Bacon, and Kale Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless Roast chicken, crispy bacon, tender kale, and sweet red onion are tossed with gnocchi and topped with lemon zest and Parmesan for this sophisticated yet simple meal. Get the Recipe 15 of 18 Thousand-Layer Duck Fat Potatoes Victor Protasio Duck fat lends richness to these crispy, fluffy potatoes, a worthy labor of love for an impressive dinner. Get the Recipe 16 of 18 Roasted Beet, Ruby Red Grapefruit, and Warm Honey Salad Christopher Testani If you’re going for a red and pink theme for dinner, look no further than this roasted beet and grapefruit salad. Get the Recipe 17 of 18 Cauliflower Salad with Yogurt Sauce and Pomegranate Greg DuPree Cookbook author Reem Kassis tops fried cauliflower with toasted nuts, pomegranate arils, and lemon-and-garlic-laced yogurt for this pretty salad. Cut the recipe in half if you're only cooking for two. Get the Recipe 18 of 18 Baked Goat Cheese Salad Greg DuPree Don’t be put off by the long timestamp on this recipe — almost all of it is devoted to letting the goat cheese rounds refrigerate overnight. Besides, the end result is so good that we named the dish one of our 40 best recipes of all time. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit