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 ↓
Broiled Fish
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Prepare the fish for cooking; remove bones if using whole fish.
If the fish is dry, brush it with melted butter and season with coarse sea salt and black pepper.
Broil and serve
Heat and grease a broiler, then place the fish inside.
Sear the flesh side first, cooking over moderate heat and turning 3 to 4 times.
Cook for about 6 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.
Serve garnished with parsley and lemon.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Fish + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,488 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together28,563 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Fish
- Provides the protein that cooks through and forms the dish's main body.
- Melted butter
- Adds moisture and fat to dry fish, helping it stay tender and brown lightly.
The step that matters
Searing the flesh side first. Searing the flesh side first sets the surface so the fish holds together when turned. Turning it too often, or too early, can tear the flesh and let juices escape, leaving it dry.
“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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