Why it works: Fish and parsley 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 ↓
Water Souchy
Ingredients
Directions
Make the broth
Add enough water to a pot to just cover the fish.
Stir in the salt, peppercorns, green parsley, and cut parsley roots.
Simmer for 30-60 minutes until the parsley roots are tender.
Prepare and cook the fish
Clean the fish, removing any brown skin.
Cut the fish into 2-inch portions.
Remove any scum that rises to the surface.
Gently add the fish to the pot and stew for 8-12 minutes, being careful not to overcook.
Finish and serve
Two minutes before serving, add minced parsley or small branches of boiled parsley.
Carefully lift out the fish and parsley roots.
Pour the cooking liquid over them.
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 + parsleytop 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
- Fish
- Forms the main body of the dish, firming and flaking as it cooks while flavouring the broth.
- Parsley roots
- Soften in the broth, adding earthy, savoury flavour.
- Green parsley
- Adds fresh herbal aroma to the broth and final dish.
The step that matters
Stew the fish gently for 8-12 minutes. Fish proteins tighten and toughen when overheated, and the flesh dries out and breaks apart. Gentle heat keeps the portions moist and intact.
“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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