Name: Simple Poached Cod Recipe
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 6 cups cold water; 1/4 cup dry white wine; 3 medium shallots, thinly sliced; 3 medium red potatoes, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced; 1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced on the bias; 2 tablespoons kosher salt; 2 medium bay leaves; 1 tablespoon black peppercorns; 4 (6-ounce) cod fillets; 1/2 medium lemon, sliced paper thin; 6 fresh parsley sprigs, stems trimmed and coarsely chopped

Why it works: Carrot and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and 8,053 recipes mention both. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.

Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together8,053 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Lemon + parsleytop 1% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together14,037 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Shallot + parsleytop 1% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together3,737 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Potato + carrottop 4% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together3,107 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together2,855 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Flavor stand-ins for the potato

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (white wine, shallot, carrot, lemon, parsley):

Leekbetter flavor fit
Parsnipbetter flavor fit
Chivebetter flavor fit
Potatothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against white wine, shallot, carrot, lemon, parsley. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).

Simple Poached Cod Recipe