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 Fish No. I
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash the fish thoroughly inside and out and wipe dry with a clean cloth.
Trim the fins close to the body with scissors.
Poach
In a kettle, bring enough water to a boil to cover the fish entirely.
Add 4 to 8 oz. of coarse sea salt and ½ oz. of saltpetre to the water.
When the water is boiling, lay the fish on a drainer and set it in the kettle.
Boil large, thick fish for 8 minutes per pound and small, thin fish for 5 minutes per pound, counting from when the water returns to a boil.
Ensure the water boils gently to avoid cracking the skin.
Check for doneness by seeing if the flesh parts easily from the bone.
Optionally, add a little vinegar to the water.
Drain and serve
When done, lift out the drainer, set it across the kettle, and drain the fish dry.
Serve on a folded napkin, garnished with parsley and sliced lemon, along with an appropriate sauce.
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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Fish + lemontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,889 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Vinegar + parsleytop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,477 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Fish + parsleytop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,341 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Vinegar + lemontop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,334 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Fish
- Provides the flesh that is cooked gently until it parts easily from the bone.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the poaching water so the fish takes on flavour as it cooks.
The step that matters
Keep the water at a gentle boil. A rolling boil agitates the fish and can split or crack the skin and break up the flesh. Gentle simmering cooks the fish evenly and keeps it intact.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (fish, vinegar, lemon):
- Tarragonfits better
- Parsleythe original
- Dillfits about as well
- Marjoramfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against fish, vinegar, lemon. 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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