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 ↓
Fish a LA Creme
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fish and sauce
Boil 4 lbs of halibut, whitefish, rockfish, or shad in salted water. When done, remove the skin, bones, and shred finely.
Mix 1 qt. of cream with 3 tablespoons flour, ¼ lb. butter, ½ onion, 1 bunch parsley, and a little cayenne pepper.
Layer and bake
Layer fish and sauce in a deep dish, starting with fish, then sauce, until the dish is filled.
Top with breadcrumbs and bake for one‑half hour.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
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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).
-
Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Parsley + oniontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,843 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Fish (in the method)
- Forms the main body of the dish and gives it a flaky, tender texture.
- Cream (in the method)
- Provides richness and a smooth, moist sauce that coats the fish.
- Flour
- Thickens the cream into a sauce that holds the layers together.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds fat for richness and a silky mouthfeel in the sauce.
The step that matters
Mixing the sauce. Flour must be fully dispersed in the cream before heating so its starch thickens evenly. Stirring it in slowly helps prevent lumps and a grainy sauce.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, parsley, lemon, pepper):
- Shallotfits better
- Okrafits better
- Arrowrootfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, parsley, lemon, pepper. 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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