Fish + Clove
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 615 recipes, and they share 43 flavor molecules: the top 25% of all ingredient pairs.
Do fish and clove go together?
Yes. 615 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 43 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 25% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
They overlap on 43 flavor molecules: 27% of fish's 158. Among the shared key aromas are alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine) and linalool (floral, citrus).
What each one brings
fish
The fresh, green side. Green notes make up 20% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 8% for clove. It carries 115 molecules clove doesn't have.
clove
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 11% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 6% for fish. It carries 268 molecules fish doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Allspice: the best fit for both, top 27% of pairs with fish, top 1% with clove.
- Cinnamon: top 29% of pairs with fish, top 1% with clove.
- Ginger: top 17% of pairs with fish, top 1% with clove.
- Nutmeg: top 23% of pairs with fish, top 1% with clove.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with fish and clove
Almost always mains: 11 of the 13 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: fish has 115 molecules clove doesn't, and clove has 268 that fish doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 43 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 115 only in fish and the 268 only in clove.
Fish and clove questions
Do fish and clove go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 615 recipes, and they share 43 flavor molecules: the top 25% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do fish and clove taste good together?
They overlap on 43 flavor molecules: 27% of fish's 158. Among the shared key aromas are alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine) and linalool (floral, citrus).
What goes with fish and clove?
Allspice is the best third ingredient: top 27% of pairs with fish and top 1% with clove. Cinnamon and ginger also fit both.
What can you make with fish and clove?
Almost always mains: 11 of the 13 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Fish Calulu, Ibirayi n'Ibishyimbo (Rwandan Bean Soup with Fish), Ikinyomoro n'Ibishyimbo (Rwandan Smoked Fish with Beans), Mbahal (Gambian Fish and Okra).
Can I use clove instead of fish?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: fish has 115 molecules clove doesn't, and clove has 268 that fish doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
Compare other ingredients
Ranks compare this pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. Molecule counts are what the studies and databases we aggregate have reported for each ingredient: a measure of coverage, not a full census. How we score pairs
Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). Compound similarity analysis: Fish vs Clove. https://compkitchen.com/compare/fish-vs-clove. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_fish_vs_clove_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Fish vs Clove},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/fish-vs-clove},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.