Name: Broiled Flounder Continental
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds fish fillets (flounder, sole, or cod); 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon dill weed; 1 1/2 cups chicken broth; 1 4-ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained; 1/2 cup peeled and deveined cooked shrimp, sliced in half lengthwise; 1/2 of large cucumber, sliced paper thin; 1/2 cup chopped onion; 1 tablespoon butter or margarine; 3 cups cooked rice; 2 tablespoons chopped pimientos

Why it works: Dill and cucumber match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 530 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Dill + cucumbertop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together530 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Chicken + mushroomtop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,172 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-butyl acetate (fruity, banana).
Garlic + cucumbertop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,556 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Pepper + dilltop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,630 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Garlic + mushroomtop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,700 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Fish fillets: Provide the main protein, which turns flaky and opaque when broiled.
Cornstarch: Thickens the broth into a smooth sauce that coats the fish.
Chicken broth: Forms the liquid base of the sauce and adds savory flavor.
Shrimp: Adds sweet, tender seafood flavor and texture to the sauce.
Mushrooms: Add earthy flavor and soft texture to the sauce.
Cooked rice: Serves as the starchy base that soaks up the sauce.

The step that matters

Thickening the sauce over low heat. Cornstarch needs gentle heat and constant stirring to swell and thicken evenly. High heat or a pause in stirring can cause lumps or a thin, uneven sauce.

Swap the dill

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (fish, pepper, garlic, chicken, mushroom, shrimp, cucumber):

Thymefits better
Parsleyfits about as well
Corianderfits about as well
Dillthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against fish, pepper, garlic, chicken, mushroom, shrimp, cucumber. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Salmon	100g cooked	208
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Shrimp	100g cooked	99
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Cucumber	1/2 cup sliced (52g)	16
Mushrooms	1/2 cup sliced (35g)	15
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Dill	5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Broiled Flounder Continental