Why it works: Pepper and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and 34,122 recipes mention both. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Fish a LA Creme
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the fish
Boil the fish until cooked.
Remove all bones and carefully pick the meat.
Make the sauce
In a bowl, mix the fish with cream, butter, flour, red pepper, salt, and parsley.
Cook the mixture over low heat until it thickens.
Bake and serve
Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and top with beaten crackers.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes.
Serve in one baking dish or individual dishes.
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.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Fish + buttertop 12% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together4,488 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + parsleytop 12% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together16,675 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter and flour share little aroma chemistry, yet 124,287 recipes mention both: they likely 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
- Cream
- Forms the rich, smooth base that thickens into a creamy sauce.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, giving the mixture a silky mouthfeel.
- Flour
- Thickens the cream as it heats, helping the mixture set into a spoonable texture.
- Fish
- Provides the main protein and flavour; cooked first so it can be flaked into the sauce.
- Beaten crackers
- Form a crumb topping that browns and adds a crisp surface in the oven.
The step that matters
Cook the mixture over low heat until it thickens. Flour thickens cream only when heated gently and stirred; high heat can scorch the dairy or leave the flour raw-tasting, and the sauce may not set properly.
Flavor stand-ins for the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (fish, cream, butter, flour, pepper):
- Nutmegabout as good a flavor fit
- Parsleythe original
- Capersabout as good a flavor fit
- Tarragonabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against fish, cream, butter, flour, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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
Fried Fish120 recipes
Fish Croquettes81 recipes
Scalloped Cod69 recipes
Broiled Fish68 recipesThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.