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 ↓
Grilled Tuna Steaks
Ingredients
Directions
Marinate
Place tuna in a shallow dish in a single layer.
In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, mustard, and oil until combined.
Pour marinade over tuna and gently turn steaks until well-coated on each side. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes up to 2 hours.
Grill and serve
Prepare grill.
Remove tuna and reserve marinade for basting.
Grill tuna for about 10-15 minutes, turning once and basting often with reserved marinade.
Serve tuna steaks with lemon wedges and garnish with chopped parsley.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Salmon | 100g cooked | 208 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp (15ml) | 9 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
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).
-
Mustard + parsleytop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,588 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
-
Mustard + lemontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,816 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Sauce + mustardtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,120 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sauce + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,147 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tuna steaks
- Form the main protein, cooking to a firm, flaky texture over the grill.
- Soy sauce
- Adds salty, savoury depth and helps the marinade season the fish.
- Worcestershire sauce
- Adds tangy, savoury depth that complements the grilled flavour.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the surface brown during grilling.
- Wholegrain mustard
- Adds sharp, tangy flavour and body to the marinade.
- Vegetable oil
- Carries the flavours and helps keep the fish moist while grilling.
The step that matters
Grilling the tuna. Tuna is lean and dries out quickly over high heat, so it should be turned once and basted often. Overcooking turns it dry and tough, while the sugar in the marinade can darken or burn if the heat is too fierce.
Swap the parsley
The recipe marks parsley as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sauce, sugar, mustard, lemon):
- Capersfits better
- Tarragonfits better
- Dillfits better
- Parsleythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sauce, sugar, mustard, lemon. 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.
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