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 ↓
Broiled Fish
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
Preheat your broiler.
Grease a double broiler with butter or a piece of salt pork to prevent sticking.
Broil and finish
Place the fish inside the broiler, exposing the inside to the fire first.
Broil the fish according to its thickness: 12-20 minutes for mackerel, 20-30 minutes for young cod and bluefish, and 12-20 minutes for salmon.
If the fish is thick, brown it over the coals first, then transfer it to a 350°F (175°C) oven to finish cooking.
Serve the broiled fish seasoned with salt, pepper, and butter, or with sauces like beurre blanc, maître d'hôtel, tartar, sharp, tomato, or curry.
Garnish with parsley or another green herb before serving.
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 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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Fish + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,488 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together28,563 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
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Fish + parsleytop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,341 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Fish + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,948 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Fish
- Forms the main body of the dish, cooking through with direct heat to become flaky.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture, and is used for greasing the broiler to prevent sticking.
The step that matters
Exposing the inside of the fish to the fire first. Starting with the inside facing the heat helps the flesh cook evenly and firm up before the skin side is exposed, reducing the risk of tearing or drying. Watch thickness closely, since timing depends on it.
“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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