Orange-Tarragon Sauce with Cream

This is a wonderful citrus sauce for white fish fillets, and very simple to prepare. I typically use this recipe for halibut. Fish purchased from your favorite market is wonderful, but if you are on a budget I have found the seafood at Costco (or similar warehouse grocer in your area) to be very good, well priced, and suitable for large families.

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium shallot , minced (about 3 tablespoons)
1 cup* fresh squeezed orange juice , from 3-4 medium oranges
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , cold
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon leaves
Table salt and ground black pepper
orange wedges for serving

1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking; add shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and beginning to color, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add orange juice and vinegar, increase heat to high, and bring to boil; boil until reduced to 3/4 cup, 4 to 6 minutes. Add heavy cream and continue to cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Remove saucepan from burner, whisk in butter and tarragon until combined; season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm; set aside, stirring once after about 1 minute.

2. To serve, stir sauce to recombine and spoon 1/2 cup over fish. Serve immediately with orange wedges, passing remaining sauce separately.

*I use 3/4 cup of orange juice to reduce the sweetness of the sauce just a bit.

Recipe courtesy Cook's Illustrated

Salmon in Muscadet Cream Sauce

This recipe is not only my favorite for fish and salmon, but it is my ultimate favorite main course recipe of all time. It changes the minds of even those who have a distaste for fish! The entree has been a staple in our home for years, and it has turned out beautifully every time. It is imperative that a Muscadet or other very dry white wine be used for this recipe. The chervil, chives and tarragon used in combination here make up a symphony for your palate - you will be sure to use them together in other meals. Bon Appetit!

4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
2 shallots, diced
1 1/2 cups Muscadet or other dry white wine
1 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
6 center-cut salmon fillets, about 1 1/2 lb. total, skin removed
2/3 cup crème fraîche
1 tsp. minced fresh chervil
1 tsp. minced fresh chives
1 tsp. minced fresh tarragon

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the tomatoes, shallots, wine and 1/2 tsp. each of the salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by one-third, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. When it foams, add the salmon fillets. Sear until golden, about 2 minutes, then turn the fillets and sear the other side until golden and just opaque throughout, about 2 minutes more. Sprinkle the salmon with the remaining 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper and transfer to warmed individual plates.

Strain the tomato mixture through a fine-mesh sieve placed over a bowl, pressing against the pulp to extract all the juice. Stir in the crème fraîche, then taste and adjust the seasonings. Return the sauce to the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens a bit, 2 to 3 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the salmon and sprinkle with the chervil, chives and tarragon.

Recipe courtesy Williams-Sonoma