Why it works: Parsley and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
To Boil Turbot
Ingredients
Directions
Poach the turbot
Place the turbot in a large pot and cover it completely with cold water.
Add a handful of coarse sea salt and ⅓ cup of vinegar to the water.
Gradually bring the water to a boil, skimming off any impurities that rise to the surface.
Serve
Once cooked, serve the turbot garnished with curled parsley, lemon, and horseradish.
Serve lobster sauce, anchovy butter, and plain butter in separate bowls.
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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Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Turbot + saucetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together248 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sauce + anchovytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,057 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Turbot + anchovytop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together110 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Lobster + anchovytop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together470 recipes
Shared aroma: octanal (fat, soap).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Turbot
- Is the main fish, cooked gently in the poaching liquid so its flesh turns firm and flaky.
- Vinegar
- Adds a light acidity to the poaching water that brightens the flavour of the delicate fish.
- Anchovy butter
- Adds savoury, salty depth and richness to the plain fish served alongside it.
- Lobster sauce
- Adds a rich, creamy seafood flavour that complements the mild poached fish.
The step that matters
Gradually bring the water to a boil. Heating slowly and keeping the water just at a simmer, not a hard boil, helps the fish cook evenly and stay tender instead of breaking up. Skimming removes impurities that would cloud the liquid and the fish's appearance.
“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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