Why it works: Parsley and thyme match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,057 recipes. Both carry cuminaldehyde, which smells Spicy, cumin. The science ↓
Fish Boiled in Court Bouillon
Ingredients
Directions
Place sliced carrots, onion, lemon, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns in the bottom of a fish kettle.
Lay the fish on top of the bed of vegetables.
Pour in the white wine and cold water, or water mixed with vinegar.
Heat over moderate fire until the liquid boils, then remove the kettle from heat.
Take out the fish and serve with a white sauce.
Strain the bouillon and store it for several days, re-boiling every three days.
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.
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 + thymetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,057 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Lemon + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Lemon + thymetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,973 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Carrot + thymetop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together4,563 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (carrot, lemon, parsley, thyme, white wine, vinegar):
- Shallotfits better
- Parsnipfits better
- Leekfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against carrot, lemon, parsley, thyme, white wine, vinegar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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