Why it works: Mace and nutmeg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,557 recipes. Both carry myristicin, which smells spice, warm. The science ↓
Potted Smelts
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the fish
Cut the fish open at the belly and remove the insides.
Wash the fish in saltwater.
Cut off the tails and fins.
Season the insides with mace, nutmeg, table salt, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf.
Let the fish marinate overnight.
Bake
Place the fish in oblong pots.
Cover the fish with clarified butter.
Bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C) until done.
Pour off the butter.
Drain the fish well.
Let the fish sit for twelve hours.
Seal and store
Warm the butter in a water bath.
Strain the butter through a warm sieve.
Pour the strained butter over the fish.
Add more clarified butter to cover.
Tie a bladder over the pots.
Keep the pots dry.
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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Mace + nutmegtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,557 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
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Nutmeg + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together13,015 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Fish + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,488 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Mace + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,257 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
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Nutmeg + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together24,377 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Mace and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,257 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Small fish
- The main body that cooks into a soft, rich, spreadable meat.
- Clarified butter
- Seals the fish from air and adds richness and moisture during baking and storage.
- Table salt
- Seasons the fish and draws out moisture, helping it keep and firm up.
- Mace
- Adds warm, aromatic spice flavour that complements the fish.
- Nutmeg
- Adds warm, sweet aromatic flavour that deepens the seasoning.
- Cayenne pepper
- Adds sharp heat that balances the richness of the butter and fish.
The step that matters
Pour off the butter and drain the fish well before the long rest. Residual water and butter left on the cooked fish can turn rancid or spoil the preserve. Draining well removes excess liquid so the fish keeps its texture and the fresh butter seals it properly.
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (fish, nutmeg, pepper, butter):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Parsleyfits better
- Clovefits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against fish, nutmeg, pepper, butter. 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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