Why it works: Fish and parsley are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,341 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Water Souchy
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the broth
Add enough water to just cover the fish in a pot.
Add salt, peppercorns, parsley, and parsley roots.
Simmer until the parsley roots are tender, about 30 minutes.
Cook the fish
Clean the fish, removing any brown skin, and cut into 2-inch portions.
Add the fish to the pot and remove any scum that rises.
Stew the fish gently for 8-12 minutes, being careful not to overcook.
Two minutes before serving, add minced parsley or boiled parsley branches.
Carefully lift out the fish and parsley roots, and pour the cooking liquid over them.
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.
-
Fish + parsleytop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,341 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
- Small fish
- Provide the main protein, which firms and turns opaque as it gently poaches.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the cooking liquid and firms the flesh of the fish slightly.
- Parsley roots
- Flavour the broth with a deep, earthy aroma while it simmers.
- Fresh parsley
- Adds a bright, fresh herbal aroma to the finished dish.
The step that matters
Stew the fish gently for 8-12 minutes. Fish proteins toughen and dry out when boiled hard or left too long, so a gentle simmer and timely removal keep the flesh tender and moist.
“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.
More water soucy recipes
You might also like
Fried Fish120 recipes
Fish Croquettes81 recipes
Scalloped Cod69 recipes
Broiled Fish68 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.