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John Dory and Scallops with Apple Chutney

By bbcfood · From Open Recipes · 12 ingredients
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Why it works: Apple and cider match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and 1,042 recipes mention both. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

The recipe

Serves 4
Prep30 min
Cook30 min

Ingredients

Contains: milk, shellfish (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)

Also mentioned in the method: scallop

Directions

Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.

  1. Peel, core and finely chop the apples, and finely chop the onion. Put them in a saucepan with the sugar, ginger, sultanas, cider vinegar and a pinch of salt.

  2. Simmer gently over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often, until thick and jammy. Season with black pepper and keep warm.

  3. Pat the John Dory dry and season with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

  4. Fry the John Dory skin-side down for 3 to 4 minutes, then turn and cook 2 to 3 minutes more until the thickest part reaches 145°F (63°C) or the flesh is opaque and flakes. Keep warm.

  5. Pat the scallops dry and season lightly. Sear them in the same pan over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side until golden and opaque through, reaching 145°F (63°C).

  6. Rinse the red amaranth and coriander cress and dry them gently.

  7. Spoon the apple chutney onto plates, top with the John Dory and scallops, and scatter over the red amaranth and coriander cress.

By bbcfood. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.

  1. Apple + cidertop 1% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together1,042 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  2. Cider + vinegartop 4% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together402 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).

  3. Ginger + peppertop 4% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together6,799 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Ginger + appletop 5% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together1,418 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Onion + gingertop 5% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapmoderate
    Mentioned together7,597 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

Flavor stand-ins for the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, ginger, apple, cider, vinegar, pepper, butter):

  1. Capsicumbetter flavor fit
  2. Carrotbetter flavor fit
  3. Mustardbetter flavor fit
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, ginger, apple, cider, vinegar, pepper, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).