Why it works: Carrot and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,053 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Water Souchet
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fish
Wash and clean the fish.
Place the fish in a stewpan and cover with cold water.
Add the parsley and salt.
Cook gently until the fish is done.
Serve
Carefully transfer the fish to a serving dish.
Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and shredded carrot, previously cooked in salted water.
Strain the cooking liquid and add it to the dish.
Serve with thinly cut brown bread and butter.
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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Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,053 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
- Flounders, plaice, soles, perch or tench
- Firm white fish flesh that becomes flaky and tender when gently poached.
- Carrot
- Adds a mild sweetness and colour as a shredded garnish.
- Parsley
- Adds a fresh, herbal aroma to the cooking liquid and the garnish.
The step that matters
Cook gently until the fish is done. Simmering gently rather than boiling keeps the delicate fish flesh moist and intact, so it stays in neat pieces instead of breaking apart.
“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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