Pompano with Tarragon Cream Sauce

Pompano is my all-time favorite fish.

There are several different kinds of pompano, but the Florida Pompano is what I can get here locally.

The other night I made a Tarragon Cream Sauce to go with it.

Chop a shallot, mince a few cloves of garlic, zest a lemon, and chop up some tarragon:

Looks like we need a little more tarragon… I LOVE tarragon with seafood.

Wash and dry the pompano and then make slits in the skin so it doesn’t curl up in the pan.

Salt, Pepper, & lightly dust the fish with flour (this will add a little crust).

Tuck the pompano away in the refrigerator until you’re ready for it.

Heat a little olive oil over medium heat and add the chopped shallots.

Sauté for a couple of minutes and then add the garlic.

Sauté for another minute.

Then pour in about a cup of wine.

Let that come up to a slight boil then squeeze in some of the juice from the lemon you zested earlier.

Turn the heat down and let all those flavors simmer and come together while you start the fish.

Heat your pan to medium high and then add some olive oil and butter. The butter will add a nice flavor.

Add the pompano, skin side down:

While that cooks add about a cup of heavy cream to the wine sauce.

Then the lemon zest.

Look over at the fish… it’s probably time to flip.

Look at that crust!

I love when the skin gets crunchy like that. Have you ever had soggy fish skin?

Blech.

Whisk your cream sauce:

Add a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper.

Once it thickens a bit, add the tarragon and turn off the heat.

Be sure to taste it and add more salt, if needed.

Spoon some of the Wine Cream Sauce on your plate.

And then gently put the pompano on the top of the sauce.

The finished product looks super complicated, but it isn’t.

The most important part is that it is delicious!

We were practically licking our plates.

Ok, not practically . . . we did.