Why it works: Carrot and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,053 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Water Souchet
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fish
Wash and clean the fish.
Place the fish in a stewpan and cover with cold water.
Add the parsley and salt.
Cook and serve
Cook gently until the fish is done.
Carefully transfer the fish to a serving dish.
Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and finely shredded carrot, previously cooked in salted water.
Strain the cooking liquid and add it to the dish.
Serve with thinly cut brown bread and butter.
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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Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flounders, plaice, soles, perch or tench
- Forms the main body of the stew, becoming tender and flaky as it cooks gently in water.
- Carrot
- Adds mild sweetness and a soft texture as a garnish once cooked and shredded.
- Parsley
- Adds fresh, herbal aroma to the cooking liquid and fish, and as a finishing garnish.
The step that matters
Cook gently until the fish is done. Simmering gently rather than boiling keeps the delicate fish flesh tender and intact, so it does not toughen or break apart in the liquid.
“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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