Why it works: Parsley and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Boiled Whiting
Ingredients
Directions
Place the fish in nearly boiling water.
For a small fish, it will be done as the water comes to a boil.
For a large fish, keep it in the water for a few minutes until the skin cracks.
Drain the fish well and serve on a plate lined with paper.
Garnish with fresh parsley and cut lemon.
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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Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Whiting + parsleytop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together330 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Whiting + lemontop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together238 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
The step that matters
Timing the poach by fish size. Whiting cooks quickly in nearly boiling water, so a small fish can overcook as soon as the water reaches a boil. Checking for the skin to crack helps show when a larger fish is ready.
“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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