Easy Steamed Artichokes With Tarragon Butter Recipe

Prep Time:

20 mins

Cook Time:

40 mins

Total Time:

1 hr

Servings:

3

Artichokes are one of Martha’s favorite vegetables, and she’s shared her steamed artichoke recipe so you can make the most of them when they’re in season. There are so many reasons to steam artichokes—it’s easy to do and makes a delicious presentation for guests, especially when accompanied by a rich dipping sauce. With this recipe, Martha opts for melted butter with tarragon and a touch of lemon, but you could use Hollandaise sauce or a garlicky aioli instead. This recipe serves three; if feeding a larger group, double the recipe and set up two steaming stations.

Steamed artichoke served on a plate with tarragon butter and a lemon wedge — Grant Webster

How to Buy Fresh Artichokes

When buying fresh artichokes, choose ones that feel dense and heavy for their size. (Weightiness is an indication of freshness and moisture content, so artichokes that feel light in your hand may be dried out.) The leaves should be green or purple in color; a touch of brown is okay, but avoid any that have more than a little browning on the exterior.

How to Store Artichokes

Artichokes are best cooked the day they're purchased, but they'll stay fresh for the better part of a week if stored using one of these methods:

If your artichokes have long stems, they can be stored like flowers in jars of water. Cut about 1/4 inch from the bottom of each stem and set each one in a jar of water, ensuring the cut end of the stem is submerged. Store for up to one week.

Or, remove about 1/2-inch of stem from each artichoke, then sprinkle the cut stem with water. Store in a resealable bag, with the seal slightly open, for about 5 days.

It's not just the leaves and the heart of the artichoke that you can eat. The stem is edible, too and is full of delicious, robust flavor.

How to Keep Artichokes From Browning

Fresh artichokes are prone to oxidation and will begin to brown shortly after being cut—this goes for the hearts as well as the stem and leaves. Prevent it by transferring the trimmed artichokes to a bowl of acidulated water (water with a bit of lemon juice added) until you're ready to cook. Alternatively, squeeze fresh lemon juice over any cut parts.

Directions

Artichokes lemons butter tarragon and salt arranged on a marble surface — Grant Webster

Make a bowl of acidulated water:

Fill a large bowl with cold water. Squeeze the juice of 2 lemons into bowl along with the lemon halves; set aside.

Grant Webster
Prep artichokes:

Using a serrated knife, cut off 1/2 inch from the top of an artichoke. Remove any small leaves from the bottom and trim stem so artichoke can stand upright. Use kitchen shears to trim sharp tips of artichoke leaves. Transfer to acidulated water, and repeat with remaining artichokes.

Grant Webster
Prep steamer:

Fill a large pot with about 2 inches of water and a pinch of salt. Set steamer basket in pot, making sure water doesn't seep through holes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a rapid simmer.

Grant Webster
Steam artichokes:

Place artichokes stem side up in steamer and season with salt; add tarragon bunch. Cover pot and steam until bottoms of artichokes are very tender when pierced to the center with the tip of a paring knife, about 40 minutes. (Add more hot water if necessary to maintain level during cooking.)

Grant Webster
Make tarragon butter:

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat, then stir in chopped tarragon and lemon juice, and season with salt.

Grant Webster
Remove center leaves to reveal heart and serve:

Place an artichoke on each plate, remove the center leaves and with a spoon gently scrape down to the heart. Serve with lemon wedges and warm tarragon butter on the side for dipping.

The fuzzy, fibrous part of the artichoke above the heart is called the choke. It's not edible and should be removed before serving.

Grant Webster

How to Store and Reheat Steamed Artichokes

If you have leftover artichokes, refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to four days. Whole artichokes can be reheated in a steamer basket for 2 to 3 minutes or microwaved, covered with a damp paper towel, for about one minute.

Other Sauces for Serving

Lemon-herb butter: For a twist on the tarragon butter above, swap an equal amount of fresh dill or chives for the tarragon and add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest along with the lemon juice.

Aioli: A creamy aioli is a fantastic accompaniment for artichoke hearts. Try our classic recipe, this tangy lemon aioli, or this saffron-scented version.

Hollandaise or Béarnaise: For a warm, rich alternative, serve artichokes alongside this easy Hollandaise sauce which utilizes a blender and the microwave for ease. Béarnaise sauce—similar to Hollandaise but spiked with tarragon, shallots, and vinegar—would also make a delicious dip.