Name: Black Cod with Fennel Chowder and Smoked Oyster Panzanella
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons butter; 3/4 cup 1/4-inch cubes fresh fennel bulb; 3/4 cup 1/4- to 1/3-inch cubes peeled Yukon Gold potato; 1/2 cup chopped onion; 1/4 cup finely chopped leek (white and pale green parts only); 1 tablespoon all purpose flour; 2 small bay leaves; 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme; 1 8-ounce bottle clam juice; 3/4 cup whipping cream; 3/4 cup whole milk; 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel; 1/4 cup finely chopped celery; 1/4 cup finely chopped shallot; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley; 4 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided; 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel; 1/4 cup minced smoked canned oysters; 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme; 4 black cod fillets with skin; Coarse kosher salt; 1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs),* toasted

Why it works: Fennel and thyme match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 337 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

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.

Fennel + thymetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together337 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Leek + thymetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together360 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,023 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Onion + leektop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,326 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl butyrate (apple, fruity).
Potato + thymetop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,586 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

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

Swap the fennel

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, potato, onion, leek, flour, thyme, clam):

Parsleyfits better
Garlicfits better
Marjoramfits better
Fennelthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, potato, onion, leek, flour, thyme, clam. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Salmon	100g cooked	208
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Clam	100g cooked	148
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Oyster	6 medium (84g)	81
Leek	1 medium (89g)	54
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Fennel Bulb	1/2 bulb (87g)	27
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Shallot	1 tbsp minced (10g)	7
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6
Thyme	1 tsp dried (1.4g)	4
Bay Leaf	1 leaf (0.6g)	2
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Black Cod with Fennel Chowder and Smoked Oyster Panzanella