Why it works: Lemon and parsley 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 ↓
Tartar Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, oil, vinegar, pickles, and parsley.
Mix until well combined and smooth.
Serve chilled as a condiment.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Lemon + parsleytop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Vinegar + parsleytop 16% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together6,477 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Egg + lemontop 19% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
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Lemon + vinegartop 20% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together7,334 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Egg + parsleytop 21% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together18,765 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Egg and lemon share little aroma chemistry, yet 44,316 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Emulsifiers that bind the oil and acid into a thick, smooth sauce.
- Oil
- Supplies fat for richness and a silky body.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and balances the richness.
- Vinegar
- Adds sharp acidity that gives the sauce its tang.
- Pickles
- Add sour tang and a bit of crunch.
The step that matters
Mix until well combined and smooth. Thorough mixing lets the egg yolks emulsify the oil into the acidic liquids. If it is under-mixed, the oil can separate and the sauce will look greasy and loose.
“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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