Why it works: Pepper and parsley 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 ↓
Egg Croquettes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the egg filling
Cook the eggs in water just off the boil for 30 minutes.
When cold, remove the eggs from the shell.
Chop the egg whites finely and sift the yolks.
Mix the chopped whites and sifted yolks with the slightly beaten egg.
Season with salt, pepper, parsley or chives, and add mushrooms if desired.
Mix with the heavy white sauce and set aside until cold.
Shape and fry
Mould the mixture into croquettes, then dip in breadcrumbs and the remaining beaten egg.
Fry until golden brown.
Serve with white sauce or add peas, small beans, mushrooms, or asparagus tips.
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.
-
Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Pepper + mushroomtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Parsley + mushroomtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,132 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Mushroom + saucetop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,480 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Egg + parsleytop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,765 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
- Eggs
- Form the bulk of the filling and set firm when cooked, giving the croquettes body.
- Heavy white sauce
- Binds the chopped egg into a moist mixture that holds its shape when shaped.
- Breadcrumbs
- Form a crisp outer coating that browns when fried.
The step that matters
Cook the eggs in water just off the boil for 30 minutes. Water that is kept just below boiling cooks the eggs gently, so the yolks set fully without turning grey or rubbery. Letting the eggs cool fully before peeling and chopping keeps the filling firm enough to shape.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, pepper, mushroom, sauce):
- Parsleythe original
- Tarragonfits about as well
- Thymefits about as well
- Capersfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, pepper, mushroom, sauce. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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 egg croquettes recipes
You might also like
The 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.
Mushroom Soup60 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes