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 ↓
To Bake a Turbot — Turbot a LA Parisienne
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Rub the inside of an earthenware pan with butter.
Mix black pepper, nutmeg, salt, and parsley; sprinkle half over the pan.
Place the turbot in the pan and sprinkle the remaining seasoning on top.
Add butter in small pieces, then dredge the fish with flour and breadcrumbs.
Pour sherry or Madeira over the fish.
Bake and serve
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on size.
Carefully transfer the fish to a serving dish and pour the baking liquid into a saucepan.
Thicken the liquid with flour rubbed smooth in butter and serve in a sauce-tureen.
Garnish with sliced lemon and horseradish.
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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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Nutmeg + parsleytop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,062 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Pepper + nutmegtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together13,015 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Nutmeg + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Turbot
- Is the main fish that is baked whole and served as the centrepiece.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture, and helps the flour-coated fish brown in the oven.
- Flour
- Coats the fish and thickens the baking liquid into a sauce.
- Fine bread-crumbs
- Form a crisp, golden crust on the fish as it bakes.
- Sherry or madeira
- Adds acidity and aroma and flavours the liquid that becomes the sauce.
The step that matters
Thicken the liquid with flour rubbed smooth in butter. Flour added to hot liquid clumps unless it is first blended into fat. Rubbing flour into butter coats the grains so they disperse evenly, giving a smooth sauce that thickens as it heats.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (turbot, butter, pepper, parsley, flour, bread, sherry):
- Thymefits about as well
- Capersfits about as well
- Nutmegthe original
- Marjoramfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against turbot, butter, pepper, parsley, flour, bread, sherry. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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