Why it works: Turbot and vinegar work together. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 132 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Turbot, Boiled
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Place the turbot in a kettle with vinegar or wine and enough water to cover it.
Put the kettle on high heat and bring to a boil uncovered.
Once boiling, cover the kettle with buttered paper and reduce heat to simmer for 1 to 2 hours.
The fish is done when it bends under your finger.
Serve on a folded napkin.
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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Turbot + vinegartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together132 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Turbot
- The main fish, which is cooked gently in the simmering liquid until tender.
- Vinegar or white wine
- Adds acidity to the cooking liquid, which helps keep the flesh firm and flavourful.
The step that matters
Keep the liquid at a simmer. A hard boil toughens and breaks up delicate fish flesh. A gentle simmer under buttered paper cooks the fish evenly while keeping it moist and intact.
“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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