Salmon with tarragon and mushroom sauce recipe

This salmon with tarragon and mushroom sauce is full of flavour. It's so easy to make and perfect for dinner. The distinctive aniseed flavour of tarragon goes particularly well with fish of all kinds but is especially good with salmon. The sauce in this recipe is very easy to make, using crème fraiche and the mushrooms add texture. You can often find some very good offers on bags of salmon fillets which makes the recipe quite cost effective. It is delicious served for a special occasion meal or light Summer lunch. Great served with new potatoes and spinach or fresh tagliatelle.

Ingredients

• 50g unsalted butter
• 4 salmon fillets or steaks
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 175g mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 200ml hot vegetable stock
• 2 tsp cornflour
• ½ tsp English mustard
• 50ml crème fraiche
• 3 tbsp fresh chopped tarragon
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Melt half the butter in a large frying pan and then add the salmon. Cook over a moderate heat for about 8 minutes, turning once, until cooked through. Transfer to a plate, cover and keep warm while you make the sauce.
2. Heat the remaining butter in the pan and add the onion. Fry gently for about 5minutes until softened but not browned. Add the mushrooms and cook until the juices begin to flow. Add the stock and simmer for 2 – 3 minutes.
3. Mix together the cornflour and mustard and blend in 1 tablespoon of water. Stir the mixture into the mushroom mixture and simmer, stirring continuously until the sauce is thickened.
4. Stir in the crème fraiche, tarragon, vinegar and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Spoon the sauce over the salmon and serve with spinach and new potatoes.