Why it works: Lemon and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and 14,036 recipes mention both. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
The recipe
serves 4 filletsIngredients
Contains: milk, wheat, fish (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Also mentioned in the method: fish
Directions
The book says “a sharp oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the fish
Fillet the sole as described in Fillets of Sole a la Orly.
Put the bones and fins of the sole into a saucepan with 2 cups of hot water and boil.
Butter a flat tin pan thoroughly.
Fold the fillets loosely and lay them on the tin.
Sprinkle a little salt and a squeeze of lemon juice over the fillets and cover with buttered paper.
Set the pan in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 6 minutes.
Make the sauce
To make the sauce, chop a small bunch of parsley very fine and set aside.
In a stewpan, mix 1 oz. of butter and ½ oz. of flour until smooth.
Gradually strain the fish stock into the flour and butter mixture, stirring quickly to prevent lumps.
Place the stewpan on the fire and stir with a wooden spoon.
Add the cream and stir until it boils.
Remove from the fire; add the chopped parsley, half a teaspoon of lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Serve
Arrange the fillets on a hot platter; add any remaining liquor from the tin pan to the sauce and pour it over the soles 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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Lemon + parsleytop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together14,036 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together34,118 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Lemon + peppertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together27,039 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Butter + creamtop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together41,494 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + flourtop 6% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together122,858 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter and flour share little aroma chemistry, yet 122,858 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sole
- Forms the delicate flaky fillets that are the body of the dish.
- Butter
- Enriches the sauce and forms the base roux with flour, adding richness and smoothness.
- Flour
- Thickens the butter and stock into a smooth, lump-free sauce.
- Cream
- Adds richness and body to the sauce, mellowing its flavour.
- Parsley
- Adds fresh herbal aroma and colour to the sauce.
The step that matters
Stirring the flour, butter and stock together. Adding the stock gradually while stirring quickly keeps the starch from clumping, so the sauce stays smooth instead of lumpy.
“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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