Sauces & Dressings Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. 
Serving Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Sorrel Tarragon Sauce
A cool, creamy herb sauce of sorrel, arugula, and tarragon that pairs beautifully with fish or cold poultry.
Contains common allergens
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Instructions
4 steps- 1
In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, sorrel, arugula, fresh and dried tarragon, chives, green onion tops, parsley, lemon juice, and garlic.
- 2
Stir until evenly blended, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- 3
Cover and chill for at least 4 hours to let the flavors meld; the sauce can be made up to 1 day ahead and kept refrigerated.
- 4
Stir before serving and spoon over grilled fish, cold poultry, or vegetables.
Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Listahan Family Score™
64/100
Works for many families
Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.
Nutrition
per serving190
Calories
1 g
Protein
2 g
Carbs
20 g
Fat
Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.
Listahan cooking guide
Chef notes & practical guide
Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.
Cultural context
Sorrel sauce is a classic of French country cooking, where the lemony tartness of the leaf is used the way other cuisines use citrus, most famously paired with salmon in the dish saumon a l'oseille. Sorrel cooks down into a soft puree almost instantly and turns a drab olive color, which is why it is treated as a flavor rather than a garnish. Adding tarragon, with its faint anise note, builds a layered green sauce that is quietly sophisticated and very seasonal.
Listahan note
This version balances the sorrel's sharp tartness with a little cream and the gentle anise of tarragon, so the sauce stays elegant rather than aggressively sour.
Technique cues
- Add the sorrel at the very end and cook it only until it wilts, because it collapses and dulls to a drab khaki in seconds and overcooking makes it bitter.
- Temper the cream into the warm sauce off a hard boil, which keeps the high acidity of the sorrel from curdling the dairy.
- Add the tarragon late as well, since its delicate anise aroma cooks off quickly and is best preserved with brief heat.
Kitchen flow
- Parallel prep
- Strip and shred the sorrel and chop the tarragon while the shallots sweat, so the herbs go in at the last moment.
- Make-ahead
- This sauce is best made fresh because sorrel dulls fast, but you can prep the shallots and herbs ahead.
- Leftover move
- Loosen leftover sauce with a splash of stock and spoon it over poached eggs or steamed new potatoes.
- Cleanup rhythm
- Rinse the pan before the cream sauce dries, and wash the herb board promptly so it does not stain.
Ingredient brief
Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.
fresh sorrel
the tart green base
Purpose: Sorrel's natural lemony acidity is the whole point of the sauce, giving it a bright, sour backbone.
Handling: Strip the leaves from the tough central rib and shred before adding.
Adaptation: Spinach with a generous squeeze of lemon approximates the color and tartness.
fresh tarragon
aromatic layer
Purpose: Tarragon adds a gentle anise note that rounds out and refines the sharp sorrel.
Handling: Chop fine and add late so the delicate aroma survives.
Adaptation: A little fresh chervil or parsley gives a milder herb layer if tarragon is unavailable.
shallot
savory base
Purpose: Softened shallot gives the sauce a sweet, savory foundation under the green herbs.
Handling: Sweat gently in butter until soft and translucent, not browned.
Adaptation: A mild onion works, though shallot is sweeter and more delicate.
cream
richness and balance
Purpose: Cream tempers the sorrel's sharpness and binds the sauce into a smooth, pourable coating.
Handling: Warm gently and add off a hard boil to prevent curdling.
Adaptation: Creme fraiche adds richness with its own pleasant tang.
butter
body and finish
Purpose: Butter softens the sauce and gives it a glossy, restaurant finish.
Handling: Sweat the shallots in it and swirl a little more in at the end.
Adaptation: Olive oil works for a lighter, non-classic version.
Technique notes
- Work fast once the sorrel goes in; the sauce is at its best in the brief window before the green fades to brown.
- Balance the finished sauce with a pinch of sugar if the sorrel is especially sharp this time of year.
- Pass the sauce through a fine sieve for an elegant, silken texture suitable for a special dinner.
Ingredient swaps
- Dairy-free direction
- Replace the cream and butter with a splash of oat cream and olive oil; the sauce loses some richness but keeps its character.
- Lighter direction
- Use half-and-half in place of heavy cream and finish with a smaller amount of butter.
- Gluten-free direction
- This sauce is naturally gluten-free; thicken with a touch of cream reduction rather than flour.
Serve alongside
- Pan-seared salmon fillet
- Poached chicken breast
- Steamed new potatoes
- Buttered asparagus
- Dry Chablis
- Sancerre
- Sparkling water with lemon
Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.
Storage & reheating
- Best served fresh, but leftovers keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to two days; the green color dulls as it sits. Reheat very gently over low heat to avoid breaking the cream. Freezing is not recommended because the cream separates and the sorrel turns bitter.
Equipment
- Wide saute pan
- Fine sieve for straining
- Sharp knife for shredding herbs
- Whisk
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