Lemon Tarragon Fish Soup

Lemon Tarragon Fish Soup

Serves 4-6

Time to table: 25 minutes

Winter is full of warm, comforting dishes; many of them rich and heavy.   This is particularly true in December when we are surrounded by the holidays, big glorious meals and sweet treats.  Here is a refreshing, light soup that provides a healthy option but will still warm you up in the cold months.  The lemon brightens the broth and the tarragon provides a lovely, light licorice-like flavor.  Soup-erb!

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp butter, divided

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Carrot

1 lemon

1 shallot or ¼ of a small sweet onion

1 full palm full of fresh tarragon leaves (1/2 cup loosely packed)

1 full palm full of fresh parsley leaves (1/2 cup loosely packed)

2 cups fresh or frozen green beans

1 lb rock fish (or other mild, white fish)

4 cups water

Salt and fresh ground pepper

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1.  Peel carrot and chop into ¼ inch pieces. Finely dice shallot/onion.  Wash herbs and chop but do not destroy.

2.  Slice lemon in half and squeeze juice into a measuring cup (keep the two lemon halves; you will use them in the broth). You should have about ¼ cup of juice. Remove & discard any seeds from the juice and the two lemon halves. 

3. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add 2 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil.  Add the chopped carrots and shallot to the pan and gently sauté for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

4. Add the lemon juice, squeezed lemon halves, tarragon, parsley, 1 ½ tsp salt, ¾ tsp fresh ground pepper, and 4 cups water.  Bring to a boil. While waiting for soup to boil, chop the fish and green beans into one inch chunks.

5. When soup reaches a boil, add the fish and green beans to the pan and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes or until fish is cooked through.  Add the remaining Tbsp of butter and stir in to add just a bit of richness.  You can skip this if you wish or swap out 1 Tbsp of olive oil instead. Season with more salt and pepper as needed after you sample the broth.  Serve with just a bit of freshly grated Parmesan on top if you wish.  Enjoy!

Two Steps Back Ingredients: Carrot, shallot/onion, tarragon, parsley, and green beans