Why it works: Lemon and ginger match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,154 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Stewed Plaice
4 personsIngredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the fish into pieces about 2 inches wide, salt them, and let them remain 1/4 hour.
Slice and fry the onions a light brown.
Put the onions in a stewpan.
On top of the onions, put the fish without washing.
Stew
Add the ginger, lemon-juice, and water.
Cook slowly for 1/2 hour, and do not let the fish boil, or it will break.
Thicken and serve
Take it out, and when the liquor is cool, add 6 well-beaten eggs.
Simmer till it thickens, pour over the fish, and serve.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Cayenne | 1 tsp (1.8g) | 6 |
| Ginger | 1 tsp grated fresh (2g) | 2 |
| Water | 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.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
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.
-
Lemon + gingertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,154 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Onion + gingertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,595 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Lemon + eggtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
-
Lemon + oniontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,646 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Egg + gingertop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,337 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Lemon and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 44,316 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Plaice
- Forms the main body of the dish, becoming tender as it gently stews.
- Lemon-juice
- Provides acidity that gives the stewing liquor its sharp, bright flavour.
- Eggs
- Thicken the cooled liquor into a sauce as they set with gentle heat.
- Onions
- Add sweetness and body to the stewing base once fried light brown.
The step that matters
Keep the fish from boiling during the stew. Boiling toughens and breaks delicate fish flesh, so the liquid should stay at a gentle simmer or below. Cooling the liquor before adding the eggs prevents them from scrambling and keeps the sauce smooth.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lemon, egg, ginger):
- Shallotfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Broccolifits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against lemon, egg, ginger. 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
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 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.