Welcome to the Celtnet Herb Guide. As this site has grown and many more recipes have been added it's become evident that a guide to the various herbs available to the cook is necessary. With spices becoming more commonly available herbs have become the 'Cinderella' flavourings in the culinary world and more and more herbs are falling out of common usage. These pages are an attempt at bringing all the various culinary herbs together into one place so that you can see what's available and perhaps find something new to use in your own cooking. To use this Herb Guide simply click on the first letter of the herb name above or below. Alternativey why not just browse through the guide. All the herbs given here whether common or rare can be obtained via a specialist herb nursery.

This is the description page for Mexican Tarragon (Tagetes lucida) and includes a description as well as an image, if available and a selection of recipes from this site that relates to the herb: Mexican Tarragon.

Mexican Tarragon, Tagetes lucida (also known as Cloud Plant, Coronilla, Pericón, Mexican mint marigold, Winter Tarragon, Sweet Mace, Sweet Marigold, Texan tarragon, Texas Tarragon and Spanish tarragon) isn't a tarragon at all, rather it's a marigold, belonging to the Asteracea (aster/daisy) family. The plant is native to Mexico and the southern USA though it can be obtained as seed from many specialist nurseries. The plant is a half-hardy semi-woody sub-shrub that looks like a spindly marigold (growing to some 50cm) with small brightly-coloured flowers and elongated (often variegated) opposed leaves. The plant is bushy with many smooth, upright, unbranched stems. The shiny, medium-green leaves are linear to oblong, about 8cm long. In late summer Mexican tarragon bears clusters of small yellow flower heads on the ends of the stems. These are about 1.2cm across and typically have three to five golden yellow ray-like florets. The plant often continues to bloom late into autumn.

The leaves are used as an herb, can be used fresh or dried (but most typically are ground into a powder and used as a tarragon substitute for flavoring soups, sauces etc) and have a scent that almost perfectly matches the fragrance of tarragon. Mexican tarragon's leaves have a more intense flavour, with a hint of anise, but make a very acceptable tarragon substitute, but add half the quantity of Mexican tarragon as compared with French or Russian tarragon. This plant is known and has been used since Aztec times and today is commonly used in the southern USA where the more intense flavour of the leaves matches the flavours of spicy foods better than tarragon. Mexican Tarragon makes an excellent addition to bouquet garni and also works well in herbed vinegars. It is a wonderful accompaniment to chicken and can be substituted for Mexican Pepper-leaf in traditional Mole recipes. It is best used fresh and can be picked even late in the year when French tarragon is not available. Though the dried leaves retain some flavour, they are nowhere near as good as the fresh and it is best to blanch and freeze the leaves for later use, or to preserve them in oil or vinegar.

The plant leaves yield variable amounts of essential oil (typically 3%) which has been shown to comtain the following aromatic compounds: Anethole, Chavicol, Coumarin, Estragole, Isorhamnetin, Methyleugenol, Quercitin

As well as the recipes below, specifically designed for Mexican tarragon as an ingredient, you can substitute Mexican tarragon for ordinary (French or Russian) tarragon in any recipe that calls for this herb as an ingredient. Just use half the quantity of Mexican tarragon for the recommended quantity of ordinary tarragon. Here you will find all the recipes incorporating tarragon on this site to help you with some ideas.

Mexican Tarragon Vinegar
Mexican Tarragon Chicken
Mexican Tarragon Vinaigrette
Stuffed Tomatoes
Mexican Tarragon Marinade
Tomato and Mexican Mint Marigold Tartar Sauce
Mexican Mint Marigold Dijon Chicken
Herbed Gorgonzola Cheesecake
Mexican Tarragon Chicken Pasta Salad
Haricot Bean and Mexican Tarragon Soup