The Orange-Tarragon Trout with Smoky Green Beans (from America’s Kitchen’s 30-Minute Suppers, Fall 2010) was an absolute hit at my house last night. I swear, you’d think I never cooked anything, the way everybody wolfed dinner down.
And ironically, I’d procrastinated my way through two bags of almonds and my first pound of green beans were fed to the worms before I could bring myself to tackle this very simple recipe. Maybe I was intimidated by the fresh tarragon? I had no idea that fresh tarragon tasted a bit like licorice…In any case, I still made lots of substitutions – see for yourself.
Orange-Tarragon Trout with Smoky Green Beans
1. Make tarragon butter: Mix 6 T butter, 1/4 c minced tarragon, and the zest of an orange. (I used the zest and juice of one lemon instead.)
2. Nuke a pound of trimmed and cleaned green beans with a 1/2 c of water for 5 minutes or until bright and green. Drain.
3. Mix green beans with 1/4 chopped smoked almonds and 1 T tarragon butter. (I used the “spicy and tangy” almonds from trader joe’s.)
4. Pan fry the fish fillets: I used a pack of frozen roughy from Trader Joe’s. Pat dry. Dredge in flour. Fry in oil/butter. Drizzle tarragon butter on top.
5. Serve with rice.