Name: Stuffing for Fish
Ingredients: 1 cup powdered cracker crumbs; ⅓ cup melted butter; 1 teaspoon onion juice; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons chopped pickles; 1 teaspoon chopped parsley; a little pepper; hot water (if needed)

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 ↓

Stuffing for Fish

Ingredients

Directions

Make the stuffing

Combine powdered cracker crumbs, melted butter, onion juice, salt, chopped pickles, chopped parsley, and pepper in a bowl. Mix well until combined.
If the mixture is not moist enough, add a little hot water.

Finish and use

Optionally add an egg for moisture, but it is not necessary.
Ensure the stuffing is dry before using it to stuff the fish.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

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.

Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together34,122 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Onion + parsleytop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,843 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together68,474 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Butter + oniontop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together42,912 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Butter + parsleytop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together28,563 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Powdered cracker crumbs: Form the bulk of the stuffing and absorb the butter and liquids.
Melted butter: Adds fat and richness while coating the crumbs for a tender texture.
Chopped pickles: Add acidity and a sharp, tangy flavor that cuts the richness.