Name: Portuguese-style Baked Sea Bass
Ingredients: 3 lb sea bass fillets, 1" thick (pollock or halibut may also be used); 1 tsp salt; 2 tbsp flour; 2 medium sliced onions; ¼ cup olive oil; ⅓ cup white wine vinegar; 3 cloves garlic, mashed or minced; 1 tsp prepared yellow mustard; 2 tbsp dried parsley; 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice; ¼ cup dry white wine; ¼ tsp ground coriander

Why it works: Onion and mustard match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,259 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.

Onion + mustardtop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,259 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together14,067 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Olive + mustardtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,950 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Clove + mustardtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,829 recipes

Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
Onion + olivetop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together29,779 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

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

What each ingredient does

Sea bass fillets: Provides the flaky white fish that forms the body of the dish.
Onions: Softened in oil, they add sweetness and a soft, moist layer over the fish.
Olive oil: Carries flavor and helps keep the fish and onions moist during baking.
White wine vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the sauce and balances the rich fish.
Garlic: Contributes pungent aroma that deepens as it cooks.
Flour: A light dusting helps the surface set and lets the sauce cling to the fish.

The step that matters

Baking the fish uncovered. Fish proteins tighten and dry out quickly once they are fully cooked. Because the dish bakes uncovered for about 45 minutes, the fish can overcook, so check that it flakes easily before serving.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pollock, flour, onion, olive, white wine, vinegar, mustard):

Garlicfits better
Capersfits better
Tarragonfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pollock, flour, onion, olive, white wine, vinegar, mustard. 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
Halibut	100g cooked	140
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Wine	2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)	25
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Pollock	not in our table	0
Coriander	not in our table	0

Portuguese-style Baked Sea Bass