Why it works: Parsley and pepper 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 ↓
Ham Omelette
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fish
Cut the haddock into square pieces.
Heat a basin with hot water, then pour it out.
Place the fish in the basin with bay leaves and herbs.
Poach and serve
Cover with boiling water and a plate to trap steam; let sit for 10 minutes.
Remove the fish, place it in a hot dish, and rub with butter and pepper before serving.
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 + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Parsley + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together28,563 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
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Haddock + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together764 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Haddock + parsleytop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together456 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
- Haddock
- Forms the main body of the dish, cooking gently to flake in the steam.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, moist coating to the cooked fish.
- Bay leaves
- Contribute a subtle aromatic flavour to the steaming liquid and fish.
The step that matters
Covering with boiling water and a plate. Trapping steam holds heat around the fish so it cooks gently and evenly. Letting it sit the full 10 minutes without lifting the plate keeps the heat steady, which helps the flesh stay moist and tender rather than drying or toughening.
“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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