Why it works: Pepper and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Baked Stuffed Haddock
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a fairly hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the fish
Clean the fish as for boiling.
Soak the bread in cold water, then squeeze it dry and crumble it lightly with a fork.
Melt the dripping and chop the parsley.
Mix the bread, melted dripping, parsley, and a little milk or egg if necessary.
Fill the inside of the fish with the mixture and sew it up with a needle and thread.
Truss the fish by placing the tail through the eyeholes.
Bake and serve
Heat about ½ cup of dripping in a tin and place the haddock in it.
Baste the fish with hot fat immediately.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for about 30 minutes, basting frequently.
When halfway done, baste again and sprinkle with a few bread crumbs to brown.
Once ready, place on a hot dish, garnish with parsley, and serve with brown sauce if desired.
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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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Bread + milktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,466 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
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Bread + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,588 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Bread + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,964 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Pepper + milktop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together26,984 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Haddock
- Forms the main body of the dish, cooking into moist, flaky flakes in the hot fat.
- Stale bread
- Soaked, squeezed and crumbled, it forms a light stuffing that absorbs fat and juices.
- Dripping
- Hot fat that bastes the fish, keeping its surface moist and helping it brown.
- Egg or milk
- Binds the stuffing so it holds together when filled and sewn into the fish.
The step that matters
Basting the fish with hot fat. Fish is lean and dries out quickly in the oven. Hot fat poured on immediately seals the surface and carries heat, keeping the flesh moist while it cooks.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (haddock, bread, pepper, milk):
- Parsleythe original
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Marjoramfits about as well
- Celeryfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against haddock, bread, pepper, milk. 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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