Why it works: Mustard and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,067 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Fish Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
Reduce the yolks of the hard boiled eggs to a smooth paste.
Gradually add the olive oil, mustard, pepper, and vinegar, mixing until well combined.
Serve
Serve with baked fish.
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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Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Olive + mustardtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,950 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Olive + vinegartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,297 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
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Olive + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,263 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
- Hard boiled egg yolks
- Egg yolk lecithin helps hold the oil and vinegar together as a stable emulsion.
- Olive oil
- Supplies fat for a rich, smooth body and carries flavor.
- Mustard
- Its natural emulsifiers help keep the oil suspended and add sharp flavor.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the sauce and balances the richness of the oil.
The step that matters
Adding the olive oil. Oil must be added gradually to the yolk paste so droplets disperse and form a stable emulsion. Pouring it in too fast can make the sauce split and look greasy and separated.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, olive, pepper, vinegar):
- Capsicumfits better
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Tomatofits about as well
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, olive, pepper, vinegar. 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.
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