Why it works: Parsley and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
St. Peter's Fish with Parsley Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the parsley sauce base
In a food processor, combine the parsley and garlic with 2 Tbsp. of water and whirl until the mixture is completely smooth.
Thin the mixture with an additional 2 Tbsp. of water and mix well.
Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
Set aside, covered.
Fry the fish
On a flat plate, combine the flour with about 1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper and mix well.
Dip the fillets into this mixture, coating well and shaking off any excess.
In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil and then fry the fish until well browned on both sides.
Transfer the fish to a preheated serving platter and set aside to keep warm.
Make the sauce and serve
Discard about half of the oil and, in the remaining oil, sauté the onions until golden brown.
Add the remaining flour and, over a low flame, cook until the mixture is light brown, stirring constantly.
Add the parsley mixture and cook, continuing to stir, for 2–3 minutes longer.
Pour the sauce over the fish and serve immediately.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 9 of 10 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Salmon | 100g cooked | 208 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Trout | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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.
-
Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Garlic + olivetop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,665 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Parsley + garlictop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,308 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Coats the fish and, cooked in the oil, thickens the sauce and gives it a light brown color.
- Olive oil
- Fries the fish to a browned crust and carries the onion flavor into the sauce.
- Fresh parsley
- Provides the main green flavor and body of the sauce once blended smooth.
- Onion
- Sautéed to golden brown, it adds sweetness and savory depth to the sauce.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the rich fried fish and the parsley sauce.
The step that matters
Cook the flour until light brown. Flour must cook in the oil long enough to lose its raw taste and thicken the sauce, but over a low flame and with constant stirring so it does not scorch and turn bitter.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (parsley, garlic, lemon, pepper, fish, flour, olive):
- Thymefits better
- Capersfits better
- Marjoramfits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against parsley, garlic, lemon, pepper, fish, flour, olive. 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.
You might also like
Lemon Sauce236 recipes
Fried Fish120 recipes
Fish Croquettes81 recipes
Scalloped Cod69 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.