Salmon With Tarragon Butter

Last night I went to a restaurant named Chops with Nancy and Helene. It's located right across from the Capitol Building, where Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger works when he comes to town. Governor Schwarzenegger. That's still hard for me to believe, after all this time.   The staff at Chops confirmed that the Govenator comes to Chops regularly. He often walks around  the room admonishing people for eating inappropriate things like potatoes. Well, he should have been there last night and tried to come between me and my potatoes.  I haven't had them (or a dessert) in months, so I treated myself to some fabulous french fries, a huge hamburger and molten volcano chocolate cake.  It was marvelous.  Sorry, I don't have a picture of me threatening Arnold with a french fry.  But take the time to consider the wonderful salmon I fixed tonight. 

There was nothing fancy about this dish. But, the taste was heaven. Silky salmon, moist and translucent in the center. And the tarragon butter was perfect. I'm usually not a big fan of tarragon--but this was very nice.  I served it with some sauteed yellow and red bell peppers, a baked potato for Bob (none for me), and braised brussel sprouts.. 

Some chocolate volcano cake would have been nice too.

Salmon with tarragon butter   (Adapted from Willams-Sonoma)

4 salmon fillets
salt and pepper
olive oil

Rub some olive oil on the salmon and dust with salt and pepper.  Cook it, preferably in a non-stick pan or on a griddle, over medium heat until just cooked through.  Don't overcook, you want the center to be a translucent color.  Go ahead and peek into the salmon by cutting through with the tip of a knife to check. The time to cook it will depend on the thickness of the salmon.  My salmon was pretty thick so it was about 7 minutes on each side.  Remove to warmed plates and dot with tarragon butter and a sprig of tarragon. 

Tarragon butter

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Put the tarragon leaves, vinegar, salt, pepper and butter in a food processor and process for about a minute. Scrap butter out and put in a bowl or form into a log.  It will keep in the fridge for about 3 days. It could also be frozen.

 

Comments

[Gerald]

Very nice plating! I wasn't a big fan of tarragon for a long time, but it's slowly grown on me.

[Shannon]

I adore tarragon. It's the sexiest of spices for me--there's something very sensual about the way it smells. I'll have to try this, as I usually associate tarragon with chicken. And I loves me some salmon!

[sher]

Gerald,

Thank you, Chef. :):) This tarragon butter was nice. I only needed a dab to add a good flavor.

[sher]

Shannon,

There was somethng about the vinegar with the tarragon that went so well with the salmon. I have a lot of the butter left over, so I'm going to freeze some of it. I love to do that with pesto. I make a huge amount and freeze it into cubes. Then I can throw a cube into soup or sauce.

[Erin]

This looks great, I can't say I've ever tried terragon, I'd better get on that..

[kalyn]

This sounds just fantastic. I am also one of those who is a bit wishy-washy on tarragon, but I think I would like this. And I love bernaise sauce too, so maybe I like it more than I think I do.

[sher]

Erin,

I do recommend that you get the fresh variety. I'm so happy that a good supply of fresh herbs are available to us at the grocery store now.

Kalyn,

I agree you. I haven't always been a big tarragon fan. Part of that may have been not having access to it when it's fresh. The dried stuff doesn't taste very good to me. And I think it tastes great paired with vinegar