Why it works: Tarragon and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,563 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Baked or Broiled Trout
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the fish
Wash the trout and dry it thoroughly.
Dredge the fish with flour.
Melt the butter until creamy.
Dip the fish in the butter and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Dredge the fish with flour again.
Dip the fish in the butter a second time.
Cook and serve the fish
Place the fish on a baking dish.
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes, longer if the fish is larger.
Alternatively, broil the fish on a gridiron over a bright fire for the same amount of time.
Serve the fish on a hot dish.
Garnish the fish with chopped parsley or chervil.
Make the cucumber sauce
Peel the cucumber and slice it.
Sprinkle the cucumber with salt and let it sit for 2 hours.
Drain the cucumber.
Chop the cucumber finely with the spring onions.
Mix the chopped cucumber with olive oil and tarragon vinegar.
Place the sauce around the fish before serving.
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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Tarragon + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,563 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Cucumber + tarragontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together274 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Olive + parsleytop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,649 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Cucumber + olivetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,611 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).
-
Cucumber + parsleytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,564 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
- Trout
- Is the main protein, cooked gently so its flesh turns flaky and moist.
- Flour
- Coats the fish so the butter clings and a light golden crust forms during cooking.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture, and helps the coating brown as the fish cooks.
- Cucumber
- Salting draws out water, so the chopped cucumber stays crisp and fresh in the sauce.
- Olive oil
- Adds fat and smoothness, carrying the flavour of the sauce across the fish.
- Tarragon vinegar
- Adds acidity and aromatic tang that cut through the richness of the butter and fish.
The step that matters
Dip the fish in the butter and let it sit for 10 minutes. Letting the coated fish rest before a second flour and butter coat helps the layers adhere, giving an even crust rather than bare or patchy spots.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, butter, cucumber, olive, tarragon, vinegar, parsley):
- Shallotfits better
- Chivefits better
- Lettucefits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, butter, cucumber, olive, tarragon, vinegar, parsley. 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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