Some of the fancier restaurants go that extra mile to present their spectacular food in spectacular plating arrangements. If you notice some shows on the Food Network or say on Iron Chef America, the attention paid to plating a dish is incredible. Flavored salts are one of those easy chef’s tricks that most home cooks don’t bother with…but why not? It is incredibly easy to do and it rachets up a dish or at least makes for interesting dinner conversation. Just place good kosher slat in a mini-blender with some fresh tarragon leaves and blitz until you have this nice green hued salt. I find tarragon pairs well with seafood dishes so you could serve this salt beside some cold lobster or shrimp with a salsa verde or other such concoction.
Instead of just dumping some of the 
kuhol in the previous post into a bowl, I placed a few pieces of kuhol on a rectangular Japanese ceramic plate, added a sprig of fresh tarragon and some tarragon salt…it looks so much more presentable and much more pricey… then you could follow that with some rare beef served with pink salt, some Black Paella with black salt…heehee, you get the drift! However, I have to say the tarragon salt didn’t really go very well with the kuhol sa gata; odd mix of flavors.At any rate, you can experiment with salt and lemon, lime or dayap rind, blitzed with chilli peppers, etc.
14 Responses
Interesting! I like tarragon a lot and will try doing what you’ve done.
MM, do give some nice recipe using tarragon or tarragon butter.
I tried toasted garlic salt and parsley, which I bought from our local Sam’s club. I mixed it fried chicken batter. I didn’t like it that much. Have to try something else, maybe this one.
the green salt looks amazing! i never knew what tarragon tasted/smelled like until i copied wolfgang puck’s santa barbara prawns with a tarragon mustard sauce. smells fantastic and i only used the dried kind. what more if it was fresh!! yummm…
In Batangas, by the foothills of Tali, is a salt maker. From the main road above, you can see the fields of salt drying in the sun. Closest thing to the fleur de sel makers of France, I thought. My mom would bring this salt to my sisters and I when she visits and it would be rationed like gold hahhah. The salt would be perfectly formed crystals with just a dot of the sea still inside when you crunch on it, yummy! Never to cook with, only as a finishing touch or to dip home grown tomatoes in…mmmm. BTW, tarragon is also excellent with eggs: scrambled, salad or quiche.
Tarragon is great with chicken. If you happen to make chicken sandwich throw a couple of leaves of tarragon either chopped or just picked, I’m telling you it is amazing. Tarragon butter is also fantastic with bread and grilled chicken. The same procedure as your tarragon salt except it is butter. Nice presentation!
try throwing in some tarragon leaves in your chicken adobo cooked in olive oil! I’ve always used dill in chicken sandwich or salad and I didn’t know it tastes good with tarragon. Will try one of these days. I tried using tarragon- infused olive oil in my popcorn but I didn’t like it much.
I agree, tarragon is a wonderful herb. It is also great in a balsamic vinaigrette.
i get so frustrated visiting your blog esp with the kuhol and palabok pictures grrrr…if i win the lotto will get on the next plane over there to eat those food. mababaw lang kaligayahan ko.
Tarragon/tarragon salt is awesome on potatoes as well. Also, make sure you’re getting/using french tarragon and not russian tarragon — no comparison. I don’t know if it happens in Mla, but here if you’re an unwitting customer and you happen to encounter an unscrupulous vendor who sells one for the other you could be easily fooled — they look a lot alike. Russian is taller than the French variety, and self-seeds — the French rarely, if ever, does this. (So don’t go buying tarragon seeds hoping to grow your own. The French ones are usually propagated by division.) The bad thing is when the plants are little they’re difficult to tell apart so you don’t know until they’re more mature — the Russian one is much less flavorful and aromatic. The one alternative to French that can be grown in cooler regions is the Winter Tarragon, for any of your readers in those areas.
From now on, i’ll treat our tarragons at the farm with more respect. since they grow everywhere, i get to bring some home for scrambled eggs. with all your letters, now i can do more with this wonderful herb. i have this friend who sells natural roasted sea salt at the salcedo market. Can’t wait to do the tarragon/salt combo. U guys are really great.
Tarragon butter with steamed crabs, delicious! Tarragon tea, the best!
I agree with patanj re: tarragon tea. It’s soothing and has a wonderful flavor and aroma.
I love tarragon and will try your ideas on flavoring salt. Thanks for sharing!