Why it works: Parsley and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and 14,037 recipes mention both. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Hollandaise Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
In a saucepan, combine fish stock and milk.
Thicken with butter and flour over medium heat.
Stir in minced parsley.
Finish and serve
Beat in the egg yolks and let simmer for 1 minute.
Add lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Fish + buttertop 12% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together4,488 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Fish stock
- Provides the savory liquid base that the sauce is built on.
- Milk
- Adds creaminess and a softer, rounder body to the sauce.
- Butter
- Adds richness and smooth fat that carries flavor and a silky mouthfeel.
- All-purpose flour
- Cooked with the butter, it thickens the liquid into a smooth sauce.
- Egg yolks
- Set with gentle heat to add body and richness to the sauce.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and cuts the richness.
The step that matters
Beating in the egg yolks. Egg yolks thicken by setting with heat, but too much heat makes them scramble and curdle. Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer and stir constantly so the yolks thicken it smoothly.
Flavor stand-ins for the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (fish, milk, butter, flour, egg, lemon, pepper):
- Parsleythe original
- Nutmegabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against fish, milk, butter, flour, egg, lemon, 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.
More hollandaise sauce recipes
You might also like
Lemon Sauce236 recipes
Fried Fish120 recipes
Fish Croquettes81 recipes
Scalloped Cod69 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.