Why it works: Parsley and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and 14,037 recipes mention both. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Sole Au Gratin
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Skin and score the sole.
Assemble
In a bowl, mix the chopped mushrooms, shallot, parsley, and lemon juice.
Spread the mixture on both sides of the sole and top with butter pieces.
Cover the sole with gluten bread crumbs.
Pour the stock around the fish.
Bake
Bake for 30 minutes.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Shallot + parsleytop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together3,737 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Mushroom + shallottop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together1,982 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Shallot + lemontop 6% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,523 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sole
- The main fish, which becomes tender and flaky as it bakes.
- Butter
- Adds fat and moisture, helping the crumbs brown lightly on top.
- Gluten bread crumbs
- Form a crisp, golden crust over the fish.
- Mushrooms
- Release moisture and savoury flavour into the fish during baking.
- Stock
- Provides moisture around the fish so it steams gently while baking.
The step that matters
Pour the stock around the fish. Stock poured around the fish, not over the crumbs, keeps the crust crisp while the liquid gently steams the fillet and keeps it moist.
“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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