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
Ingredients
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 gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare and bake the fish
Fillet the soles and roll them up with the side that was next to the bone facing out.
Place the rolled soles on a buttered baking tray and sprinkle with lemon juice.
Cover with buttered paper and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on size.
Make the sauce
While the fish bakes, boil the bones in the milk and then strain the mixture.
In a small saucepan, melt half the butter, then add the flour and mix until smooth.
Stir in the strained milk and cook until it boils, then let it boil for 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and add the remaining butter in small pieces, lemon juice, seasoning, and chopped parsley.
Serve
Pour the sauce over the baked 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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Lemon + parsleytop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together14,036 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Butter + milktop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together81,222 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Butter + flourtop 6% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together122,858 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Lemon + milktop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together19,048 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Butter + parsleytop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together28,543 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
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
- Butter
- Enriches the sauce with fat, giving it a smooth, rich mouthfeel.
- Flour
- Thickens the milk into a smooth sauce as it cooks.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the sauce, which thickens when cooked with flour.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the buttery sauce and the fish.
The step that matters
Stirring the flour into the milk-butter mixture. Adding the strained milk gradually while stirring keeps the flour smooth, while cooking until it boils activates the starch so the sauce thickens without lumps.
Flavor stand-ins for the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, lemon, milk, flour):
- Cinnamonabout as good a flavor fit
- Parsleythe original
- Nutmegabout as good a flavor fit
- Thymeabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, lemon, milk, flour. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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.
You might also like
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
IllustrationThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.