Cod with Roasted Tomato-Tarragon Hollandaise
By David Harbilas
The French have many variations for hollandaise, and the familiar addition of tarragon is part of the ubiquitous béarnaise sauce.
This version is a bit different, as it calls for a rich reduction of roasted tomatoes and fresh chopped tarragon; a traditional béarnaise uses a reduction of vinegar, shallots and tarragon.
Tomatoes and fish are a natural combination, so the addition of butter and herbs are a clear choice.
Serves 2
for the roasted tomato puree:
- 1 vine-ripe tomato, not a plum variety
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
for the hollandaise:
- 4 egg yolks
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped tarragon
for the cod:
- 2 cod filets, about 8 ounces each
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
To make the roasted tomato puree, preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Cut the root end of the tomato out and place it in an oven-proof dish and coat with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and roast the tomato for 3-4 hours, or until the skin has shriveled and the tomato has released a lot of its juice.
Let the tomato cool for about 1 hour, then pull the skin off. Place the tomato with its juice into a blender and puree until smooth. Put the puree into a saucepan and slowly reduce over medium heat to a thick puree, about 20-30 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
For the hollandaise, melt the butter until frothy and set aside. Skim the froth off the top, leaving the clarified butter for the sauce. Set a pot with about 3 inches of water in it over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Place a metal bowl over the water and add the egg yolks. Whisk constantly over the heat until the yolks have thickened slightly and turned a very pale yellow color. Remove the bowl from the heat, then add 1 tablespoon of the clarified butter and whisk to incorporate.
Repeat, adding 1 tablespoon of butter at a time, making sure the yolks take in the butter with each addition. The sauce should begin the thicken, almost like a mayonnaise. After about half of the butter has been added combine 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. The sauce will loosen slightly. Continue adding the butter to finish the sauce and add more lemon juice, if desired. (I like my hollandaise to have a bit of lemon in it, but you can leave it on the buttery side.)
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently whisk in the roasted tomato puree. It’s important to make sure that the puree has been reduced to a fairly thick paste and that it isn’t too hot when adding to the hollandaise, or the sauce could break. Add the chopped tarragon.
For the cod, preheat an oven to 375 degrees. Place the cod on an ovenproof dish and brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the cod for 20-30 minutes, or until it is flaky and cooked through. Serve the cod with the tomato hollandaise.
