Tarragon 20g

Recipes & Uses

Why Keep Tarragon in the Pantry?

A classic French herb
Essential for Béarnaise sauce and many traditional French chicken and fish dishes.

Perfect with chicken
Its gentle anise-like flavour works beautifully with creamy poultry sauces.

Excellent with eggs
Use in omelettes, scrambled eggs and egg salad.

Ideal for vinaigrettes
Tarragon and vinegar are a particularly classic combination.

More delicate than many dried herbs
It adds complexity without overwhelming mild ingredients.

What Does Tarragon Taste Like?

Tarragon is:

Sweet
Herbaceous
Gently anise-like
Slightly minty

with subtle vanilla-like notes.

Its liquorice character is much softer than spices such as:

Star Anise
Aniseed

Tarragon remains unmistakably an herb rather than a sweet spice.

That makes it especially good with delicate foods such as:

Chicken
Fish
Eggs
Cream sauces

How to Use Tarragon

Chicken

Tarragon and chicken are one of the most useful pairings.

Add it to creamy chicken sauces with:

Garlic or shallot
Cream
Mustard
Black Pepper

Add the Tarragon near the end so its aroma stays fresh.

Fish

Use with:

White fish
Salmon

alongside lemon, butter and seasoning.

Because Tarragon is more delicate than Rosemary, it won't overpower mild fish.

Eggs

Sprinkle into:

Scrambled eggs
Omelettes
Frittatas
Egg salad

A small amount adds a distinctive French-style herb flavour.

Cream Sauces

Stir Tarragon into cream-based sauces for chicken, fish or vegetables.

Soups

Add towards the end of:

Potato soup
Leek soup
Chicken soup

for an aromatic finish.

Tarragon & Béarnaise Sauce

Béarnaise is one of the classic uses for Tarragon.

The sauce traditionally combines flavours such as:

Tarragon
Vinegar
Shallot
Butter
Egg yolk

and is commonly served with steak.

You don't need to make a full Béarnaise to enjoy the flavour combination.

Tarragon also works beautifully stirred into a simple butter or cream sauce for steak, chicken or fish.

Why Add Tarragon Near the End?

Tarragon has a delicate aromatic character.

Long cooking can make that flavour less noticeable.

For the strongest aroma, add it:

During the final few minutes of cooking

or

Immediately before serving.

This is especially useful in:

Chicken sauces
Fish dishes
Eggs
Soups

where the herb is meant to stay fresh and distinctive.

Tarragon vs Rosemary

These herbs perform very different jobs.

Choose Tarragon when you want:

• Delicate anise-like flavour
• Chicken
• Fish
• Eggs
• Cream sauces
• French-style cooking

Choose Rosemary when you want:

• Strong piney flavour
• Lamb
• Roast potatoes
• Long cooking
• Bread

Tarragon is the lighter, more refined herb.

Rosemary is the stronger, more robust herb.

Tarragon vs Fennel

Both can have an anise-like quality.

But Tarragon is:

Herbal
Delicate
Fresh

while Fennel Seeds are:

Sweeter
Stronger
More spice-like

They aren't direct substitutes.

Tarragon is better when you want a delicate herb note in sauces, eggs or poultry.

Try It This Way

For easy Tarragon chicken:

Cook chicken breast or thighs until nearly done.

Remove from the pan.

Add:

Shallot or onion
A little garlic
Cream
Dijon mustard
Black Pepper

Return the chicken.

Add Tarragon towards the end.

Simmer briefly and serve.

The herb gives an ordinary creamy chicken dish a completely different character.

Make Tarragon Vinegar

Add Tarragon to a bottle or jar of white wine vinegar.

Allow the flavour to infuse.

Strain if desired.

Use the vinegar in:

Salad dressings
Sauces
Marinades

Tarragon's sweet anise character works particularly well with vinegar's acidity.

Make a Simple Tarragon Vinaigrette

Combine:

Olive oil
White wine vinegar or lemon juice
Tarragon
Dijon mustard
Salt
Black Pepper

Shake or whisk well.

Use over:

• Green salads
• Chicken salad
• Potato salad
• Asparagus
• Green beans

Allow the dressing to stand briefly so the dried herb softens.

Tarragon with Eggs

Eggs are mild enough to let Tarragon stand out.

Try it in:

Omelettes
Scrambled eggs
Egg mayonnaise
Quiche

Pair with:

Chives
Parsley

for a classic fine-herb style combination.

Tarragon with Potatoes

Tarragon also works surprisingly well with potatoes.

Stir it into:

Potato salad
Creamy potato dishes
Warm buttered potatoes

alongside mustard, lemon or vinegar.

Because the potato is mild, even a modest amount of Tarragon becomes noticeable.

Make Tarragon Butter

Combine softened butter with:

Tarragon
Lemon zest
Black Pepper
A little salt

Use over:

• Chicken
• Fish
• Steak
• Potatoes
• Green beans
• Asparagus

The butter carries the herb aroma beautifully.

Beyond Béarnaise

Once you've opened the pack, try Tarragon in:

• Roast chicken
• Creamy chicken
• White fish
• Salmon
• Omelettes
• Scrambled eggs
• Quiche
• Potato salad
• Green salads
• Vinaigrettes
• Tarragon vinegar
• Cream sauces
• Potato soup
• Leek soup
• Herb butter
• Asparagus
• Green beans

Tarragon is worth keeping because it can make mild foods such as chicken, eggs and cream sauces taste far more distinctive without needing a long list of spices.

Add It Late

For the strongest flavour, add Tarragon towards the end of cooking.

Its aroma is more delicate than robust herbs such as Rosemary or Sage.

Storage

Store Tarragon in an airtight container in a cool, dark and dry place to help protect its colour and distinctive sweet aroma.