Why it works: Fish and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 19% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,924 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Court Bouillon
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.
Make the broth
Combine fish trimmings and onions in a pot.
Add enough water to cover the ingredients.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.
Strain and use
Strain the broth and use as a base for soups or sauces.
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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Fish + oniontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,924 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Fish trimmings
- Supplies the core flavor and, from bones and skin, gelatin that gives body.
- Onions
- Adds aromatic sweetness and depth as they soften in the liquid.
The step that matters
Simmer gently after boiling. Once the pot reaches a boil, a gentle simmer keeps the broth clear. A hard, rolling boil agitates fats and fine particles into the liquid, making it cloudy and greasy.
“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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