Why it works: Butter and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,232 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Habits of the Anchovy
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Remove the heads and guts from the anchovies.
Cook
Heat oil or butter in a pan.
Fry the anchovies until cooked through.
Season with cayenne.
Serve
Serve on toast or thin strips of brown bread spread with butter.
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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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Anchovies
- Provide the main savoury, salty flavour and tender texture when fried.
- Oil or butter
- Conducts heat in the pan and adds richness and moisture to the fish.
- Butter
- Adds richness and flavour to the bread base and helps it taste savoury.
The step that matters
Fry the anchovies until cooked through. Frying over heat that is too high can scorch the outside before the centre cooks, leaving a bitter, burnt taste. Moderate heat cooks the fish evenly and keeps it tender and mild.
“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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