Pan-fried trout with a tarragon béchamel

In my ongoing search for ideal grocery stores, I took a lengthy bus ride out to a Fresh Farms and discovered a fairly extensive seafood section with fairly reasonable prices on fresh fish. We have both been sorely missing access to fish, that I leaped at the opportunity and picked up a medium-sized rainbow trout (for less than $5!). I searched for a recipe that didn't entail wrapping it in bacon, which is our usual stand-by, as I thought it might be nice for a change. Good ol' Julia Child came through with a variation on the classic béchamel sauce involving tarragon.

Recipe

from Mastering the Art of French Cooking 1 trout (approx. 1 lb), cleaned4 garlic cloves, pressed2 tbsp butterfloursalt & pepperSauce1 tbsp butter1 1/2 tbsp flour1 cup milk1/8 tsp salt1/2 cup white wine1 tbsp dried tarragon1/3 cup red onion, choppedDredge the trout (coat in seasoned flour). Saute garlic in butter, then remove garlic from pan. Add trout and cook (approx. 10 minutes per inch of thickness). Remove from heat and de-bone.For the tarragon béchamel, in a saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Blend in flour, cooking slowly, stirring until they froth together. Remove roux from heat. In a separate saucepan, bring milk and salt to a boil. Pour hot liquid into roux and beat vigorously with a whip. In a pan, boil white wine, onions and tarragon until reduced to a few tbsp (this is the herb essence). Strain this into the béchamel.

Musings

Served with a side of mashed potatoes and green beans, the trout was moist and flavourful, though still quite mellow. The tarragon béchamel served well, as it didn't overpower the trout, but actually helped bring out the trout flavours. D noted that it would be nice to have fresh tarragon, as the herbal punch wasn't as strong as it could be. I particularly enjoyed the creamy, smooth texture (despite not actually using any cream, which is a nice, healthy novelty). It was nice to have fresh fish again, not only for the health factor, but it's also nice for a change of pace.