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 ↓
To Boil Fish No. I
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash the fish thoroughly inside and out, then wipe dry with a clean cloth.
Trim the fins close to the body with scissors.
Boil
In a kettle, bring enough water to a boil to cover the fish entirely, adding salt and saltpetre.
Once the water is boiling, place the fish on a drainer and set it in the kettle.
Boil large, thick fish for 8 minutes per pound and small, thin fish for 5 minutes per pound, counting from when the water resumes boiling.
Ensure the water boils gently to prevent cracking the skin.
Check for doneness by seeing if the flesh parts easily from the bone.
Optionally, add a little vinegar to the water.
Serve
When done, lift out the drainer, let the fish drain, and serve on a folded napkin garnished with parsley and lemon slices.
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 + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Fish + lemontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,889 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Vinegar + parsleytop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,477 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Fish + parsleytop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,341 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Vinegar + lemontop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,334 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Fish
- Is the main food being cooked, so its firm flesh holds together and cooks through in the hot water.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the fish and water, and its salt draws flavour into the flesh.
- Saltpetre
- Adds a cured flavour and helps the flesh keep a firm, pinkish colour.
The step that matters
Keep the water at a gentle boil. A rolling boil agitates the fish and can crack the skin and break the flesh. A gentle simmer cooks it evenly and keeps it intact.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (fish, vinegar, lemon):
- Tarragonfits better
- Parsleythe original
- Dillfits about as well
- Marjoramfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against fish, vinegar, lemon. 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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