Tarragon Tomato Fish Recipes

FLOUNDER WITH BROWN BUTTER, LEMON AND TARRAGON

Steps:

• Put flour in a low bowl or pie plate and stir in a generous amount of salt and pepper and a pinch of cayenne.
• Place a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and tilt pan to coat bottom.
• Season the fillets lightly with salt and pepper. Dip each fillet quickly into flour mixture, shaking off excess flour.
• Lay fillets in skillet in one layer. Cook for about 2 minutes per side, until golden. Transfer cooked fish to a warm platter.
• Leave the heat at medium-high and add cold butter. Let butter sizzle until foamy and brown, but do not let it burn. Add lemon juice, parsley and chopped tarragon and swirl to incorporate.
• Spoon butter sauce over fish. Garnish with a few tarragon leaves and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

CHEF JOHN'S TARRAGON AIOLI

Steps:

• Crush garlic and salt together in a mortar with a pestle; add tarragon and continue crushing with the pestle until tarragon is pulverized.
• Stir mayonnaise and lemon juice into garlic-tarragon mixture until aioli is smooth; season with cayenne pepper.

TUNA IN TOMATO-TARRAGON BROTH

Steps:

• Season both sides of tuna with salt and black pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add tuna to hot pan and cook 2 minutes per side, until golden brown.
• In a medium bowl, combine broth, tomatoes, shallots, and tarragon. Add mixture to skillet and bring to a simmer. Simmer 2 minutes, until tuna is cooked to medium (or longer for more well done fish). Finish the sauce with butter. Serve 4 tuna fillets with all of the sauce and rice. Reserve the remaining tuna for melts, if desired.

TARRAGON-TOMATO FISH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F or grill to medium-high.
• Season the fish with salt and pepper and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil to coat.
• In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, shallots, and tarragon; season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Toss with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Cover a baking sheet with foil. Range 4 piles, each with 2 lemon slice, 1 fish fillet and a quarter of the tomato-shallot mixture.
• Cover with another sheet of foil and pinch together on all four sides to seal the packet.
• Roast the fish in the oven or closed grill until opaque, 15 to 18 minutes. If grilling, don't use the baking sheet and be sure the foil packet is well sealed. You may want to divide the fish into two (or even 4) sealed packets for ease in grilling.
• Open the foil packet and, using a large spatula, transfer the fish to plates.
• Pour the cooking juices over the fish.
• Pass crusty French bread around the table to mop up the juices.