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 ↓
Sole, Normande
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a gentle oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the fish
Scale and clean the sole, then remove the dark skin by cutting at the tail and pulling it over the head.
Butter a fireproof dish and layer the bottom with thin slices of onion.
Season the sole with salt and pepper, place it on the onions, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Moisten the fish with French white wine.
Bake the sole
Bake in a gentle oven at 300°F (150°C) until done, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Make the sauce and finish
Clean and scrape the mussels, boil them, then bead and drain them before placing on the sole.
Prepare a rich white sauce, mixing in the gravy from the sole and mussel cooking liquid.
Reduce the sauce until it coats the spoon, then pour some over the sole and mussels.
Return the dish to the oven for a few minutes to heat through without coloring the sauce.
Serve hot, with remaining sauce in a tureen.
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.
-
Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Butter + white winetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,083 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Onion + parsleytop 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).
-
Onion + white winetop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,535 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
- Sole
- Forms the main body of the dish, cooking gently to become flaky and tender.
- Mussels
- Add briny, savoury flavour and are added to the dish for their taste.
- White sauce
- Adds richness and moisture, coating the fish and mussels as it reduces.
- French white wine
- Moistens the fish and adds acidity that brightens the sauce.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, and keeps the dish from sticking.
- Onion
- Forms a thin bed under the fish, adding sweetness and aroma as it cooks.
The step that matters
Reducing the sauce to coat the spoon. If the sauce is too thin it will run off the fish and pool in the dish, and if it is over-reduced it becomes pasty and heavy. Stopping when it coats the spoon gives a glossy, cohesive sauce that clings to the sole and mussels.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, pepper, parsley, white wine, sauce):
- Shallotfits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Carrotfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, pepper, parsley, white wine, sauce. 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
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 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.