Tarragon vinaigrette brings a bright, herbal lift to green salads and roasted vegetables. Get a simple homemade dressing recipe to whisk together!!

Fresh tarragon vinaigrette brings a lovely little change of pace to your salad bowl, with fragrant herbs, mellow shallot, and a bright splash of white wine vinegar wrapped in silky olive oil!!

Tarragon has a delicate anise flavor, a little like fennel, with a fresh, leafy finish that works beautifully alongside mustard and lemon zest. This dressing lets that flavor come through clearly, with tiny pieces of shallot adding a gentle crunch.

Ingredients

Fresh tarragon should have supple green leaves and a clean, sweetly herbal smell. Pass over bunches with slimy leaves or extensive browning, and pull away any tough stems before chopping.

If you are new to its anise flavor, start with 1 tablespoon of chopped leaves, let your dressing rest, then add more a teaspoon at a time until it tastes right to you.

• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon mild extra-virgin olive oil / 135 ml: Use oil that tastes fresh and pleasantly fruity. It should be fully liquid when you start whisking.
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar / 45 ml: Choose regular, unseasoned white wine vinegar, ideally around 5% acidity. Champagne vinegar also works.
• 1 tablespoon water / 15 ml: This loosens your dressing and takes some intensity out of each mouthful. Keep another teaspoon or two available for adjusting later.
• 2 tablespoons very finely minced shallot / about 20 g: Measure after chopping, since shallots vary considerably in size. Aim for tiny pieces, about ⅛ inch / 3 mm or smaller.
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves / about 4 g: Strip leaves from tough stems, chop, then measure loosely without packing them down.
• 2 teaspoons smooth Dijon mustard / about 10 g: Smooth Dijon gives a more even texture than whole-grain mustard.
• 1 teaspoon honey / about 7 g: Use a mild honey so its flavor stays in the background.
• ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest: Grate only yellow peel, avoiding bitter white pith. This adds a fresh lemon aroma without changing your vinegar measurement.
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt / about 1.5 g: Start here, then adjust after tasting with your greens. Coarse kosher salt measures differently, so use weight if substituting it.
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper: A small amount adds warmth while keeping tarragon easy to taste.

Yield: About 1 cup / 240 ml.

Servings: 8, using approximately 2 tablespoons per serving.

How to Make Tarragon Vinaigrette

Gather and measure your ingredients first, then rinse tarragon gently under cool running water and pat it thoroughly dry with a clean towel. Pull leaves from firm stems, gather them into a small pile, and chop with a sharp knife until you have small green flecks rather than long ribbons.

Stop once they are finely chopped, since repeatedly crushing them into your cutting board leaves you with bruised herbs and a very fragrant board. Finely mince your shallot, grate lemon zest, and keep everything within reach so whisking feels easy.

Put minced shallot, white wine vinegar, and salt into a small bowl, stir well, and leave them for 5 minutes. This short soak takes some edge off raw shallot and gives salt time to dissolve before oil joins in.

Don’t skip this step, because a dressing can taste beautifully balanced until one large, sharp piece of onion takes over a bite! Your shallot should still have a little crunch afterward; you are mellowing its flavor, not trying to turn it completely soft.

Whisk Dijon, honey, and 1 tablespoon of water into your shallot mixture until honey has dissolved and you cannot see separate streaks of mustard.

Scrape around your bowl with a spoon if honey clings to its base, particularly when your ingredients are cool. You should have a thin, cloudy mixture with shallot scattered throughout, ready to take in oil.

Set your bowl on a folded damp towel if it slides, then whisk constantly while adding olive oil a few drops at a time for roughly 20 to 30 seconds.

Once your mixture looks slightly thicker and more uniform, continue pouring in a narrow, steady stream, taking another minute or so to add all remaining oil.

Look for a pale golden dressing with a light sheen and an even texture. It should leave a thin film on a spoon and pour easily, rather than sit in a thick mound.

Stir in chopped tarragon, lemon zest, and black pepper, then let your dressing stand for another 5 minutes so those flavors have time to mingle. Stir again before tasting, making sure you pick up some shallot and herbs rather than just liquid from the surface.

You should notice vinegar first, followed by fruity oil and tarragon’s gentle anise finish, with honey quietly rounding everything out.

Dip a dry lettuce leaf or slice of cucumber into your dressing and taste it that way before changing anything. Straight from a spoon, vinaigrette often seems sharper and saltier than it does once spread across vegetables, so this is a much fairer test.

If it tastes flat, stir in a small pinch of salt; if it still needs brightness, add ½ teaspoon vinegar.

If it tastes too sharp on your greens, whisk in 1 additional tablespoon olive oil, then taste again before adding anything else. For a dressing that tastes balanced but pours too thickly, add water 1 teaspoon at a time.

Use your vinaigrette immediately, or transfer it to a clean jar, cover, and refrigerate. A little separation later is normal, even with Dijon, so stir or shake again just before serving.

When dressing a salad, start with less than you think you need, toss gently, then inspect a leaf; a fine glossy coating is your goal. Lettuce does not need swimming lessons!

Serving Suggestions

For a crisp green salad, toss 4 loosely packed cups of dry butter lettuce or mixed greens with 2 tablespoons of dressing, then add more a teaspoon at a time if needed.

Thin cucumber slices, radishes, and a few shavings of Parmesan make a lovely combination, although salty cheese is a good reason to taste before adding extra salt. Dress tender leaves just before eating so they keep their lift and crunch.

For warm potatoes, spoon about 3 tablespoons over 1 pound / 450 g of cooked, halved baby potatoes once they have drained well and stopped giving off heavy steam. Toss gently, let them stand for a couple of minutes, and taste again before adding another spoonful.

Dressing settles into their warm surfaces, while bits of shallot and tarragon collect around those creamy centers. Add sliced scallions if you would like a little more crunch.

For asparagus or green beans, start with 1 to 2 tablespoons over 12 ounces / 340 g of cooked vegetables, tossing while they are warm.

A few toasted sliced almonds add a delicate crunch, and lemon zest in your dressing gives everything a fresh finish. Let excess cooking water drain away first so it does not dilute all that flavor.

For chicken, salmon, or white beans, use this as a finishing dressing, spooning 1 to 2 teaspoons over each portion of cooked chicken or fish, then offering more alongside.

For a quick bean salad, toss a drained and rinsed 15-ounce can of white beans with 2 tablespoons of dressing, chopped cucumber, and a handful of parsley. Taste before serving, since beans often welcome another small pinch of salt.

Small Adjustments and Substitutions!!

• If you only have dried tarragon, start with 2 teaspoons in place of 2 tablespoons fresh. Add it to your vinegar and shallot mixture at the beginning so it can soften during that first rest, and give your finished dressing an extra 10 minutes before tasting.
• Its flavor will be less fresh and leafy, but it can still make a good dressing; add another small pinch only if your dried herbs smell fragrant and you want a stronger tarragon flavor.
• If you need a vegan dressing, replace honey with 1 teaspoon maple syrup. Choose a light-tasting syrup if possible, and keep everything else unchanged.
• If your dressing separates while you are making it, pause your oil stream and whisk until it comes together again. If it remains very oily, put ½ teaspoon Dijon and 1 teaspoon water into a clean bowl, then gradually whisk your separated dressing into that mixture.
• Add it slowly at first, just as you did with oil, and taste afterward because that extra mustard will make its flavor slightly more pronounced.

With silky olive oil, fragrant herbs, and just enough Dijon to hold everything together, this tarragon vinaigrette makes a bowl of crunchy greens taste wonderfully complete.

Give your shallot its short vinegar soak, taste on an actual leaf, and leave yourself a spoonful for warm potatoes or tomorrow’s lunch. That little jar has plenty to offer beyond salad!