Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Baked Haddock
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the fish
Wash and dry the fish, remove the eyes, and rub a little salt along the backbone.
Cut the bread into small pieces and soak in the milk until soft; strain if too moist and beat finely.
Add the parsley, herbs, salt, and pepper to the bread mixture and mix well.
Stuff the mixture inside the fish and sew or skewer it closed, then tie it into a nice shape.
Dredge the fish with salt, pepper, and flour.
Bake and serve
Melt the dripping in a baking tin, place the fish in it, and bake for about 30 minutes at 400°F (200°C), basting frequently.
When done, place the fish on a hot dish, remove the string and skewers, and serve plain or with brown gravy.
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 + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Bread + milktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,466 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
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Bread + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,588 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Bread + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,964 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + peppertop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together26,984 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Haddock
- Provides the main body of the dish, cooking to a moist, flaky texture.
- Stale bread
- Soaked in milk and beaten, it forms a moist, binding stuffing that holds its shape.
- Milk
- Softens the bread so it blends into a smooth, moist stuffing.
- Dripping
- Fat that conducts heat in the baking tin and helps the fish brown and stay moist.
- Flour (in the method)
- Dredged onto the fish surface, it helps the exterior brown during baking.
The step that matters
Basting the fish in the baking tin. Fish is lean and dries out quickly in the oven. Frequent basting with the melted fat keeps the surface moist and helps it brown evenly.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (haddock, bread, milk, pepper):
- Parsleythe original
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Marjoramfits about as well
- Celeryfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against haddock, bread, milk, pepper. 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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