Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Water Souchet
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare and poach
Wash and clean the fish.
Place the fish in a stewpan and cover with cold water.
Add a small bunch of parsley and salt to taste.
Cook gently until the fish is done.
Serve
Carefully transfer the fish to a deep dish or tureen.
Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of finely chopped parsley.
Strain and add the cooking liquid, then serve.
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 + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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
- Firm white fish that becomes flaky and tender when gently poached.
- Parsley
- Adds fresh, herbal aroma to the cooking liquid and the finished soup.
The step that matters
Cook gently until the fish is done. Simmering gently rather than boiling keeps the delicate fish flesh moist and intact, so it does not toughen or break apart.
“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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