Why it works: Parsley and fish are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,341 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
To Crimp Parsley
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash and pick the parsley from the large stalks.
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Fry the parsley
After frying the fish or meat, boil the fat in a pan.
Add the parsley to the hot fat and cook until crisp and green.
Remove the parsley and let it dry for a few minutes 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.
-
Parsley + fishtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,341 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
- Parsley
- Becomes crisp and green when fried in hot fat, giving a crunchy garnish.
- Fat from fried fish or meat
- Hot fat fries the parsley quickly, crisping its leaves and adding savory flavour.
The step that matters
Adding the parsley to the hot fat. Parsley is wet and fat is very hot, so it can spatter. The leaves must be fully dry before frying. If the fat is not hot enough, the parsley soaks up oil and turns limp instead of crisp.
“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.
You might also like
Fried Fish120 recipes
Fish Croquettes81 recipes
Scalloped Cod69 recipes
Broiled Fish68 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.