Why it works: Turbot and sauce match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 248 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Darne De Turbot Parisienne
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the fish
Cut the fish into slices.
Place the slices on a greased baking tray.
Pour half of the Chablis over the fish.
Cover the fish with greased paper.
Cook in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C).
Make the sauce
Boil down the remaining Chablis.
Add the white sauce and parsley.
Prepare the potatoes
Pass the potatoes through a sieve.
Roll the potatoes into balls the size of marbles.
Coat the potato balls in flour.
Fry the potato balls in hot fat.
Finish and serve
Arrange the fish neatly on a plate.
Pour the sauce over the fish.
Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the fish.
Brown the cheese under the broiler or in front of the fire.
Serve the potato balls at each end of the dish.
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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Turbot + saucetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together248 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Parsley + potatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Parmesan cheese + potatotop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together572 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Sauce + parmesan cheesetop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,294 recipes
Shared aroma: decanoic acid (soapy, waxy).
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Parmesan cheese + parsleytop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,799 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Turbot
- Forms the flaky main body of the dish, cooked gently under cover.
- Chablis
- Adds acidity and wine flavour as it cooks down into the sauce base.
- White sauce
- Provides a creamy, rich coating that moistens the fish.
- Parmesan cheese
- Melts and browns on top, adding savoury flavour and a golden crust.
- Potatoes
- Mashed and shaped, then fried, giving a crisp exterior and soft interior.
The step that matters
Browning the cheese. Grated Parmesan needs direct heat for a short time; too little and it stays pale, too long and it burns and turns bitter. Watch it closely under the broiler.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (turbot, sauce, parmesan cheese, potato):
- Capersfits better
- Garlicfits about as well
- Parsleythe original
- Celeryfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against turbot, sauce, parmesan cheese, potato. 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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