Why it works: Saffron and rice work together. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 629 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Stuffed Swordfish
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the stuffing
Combine cooked rice, peas, mayonnaise and pimientos.
Cut a pocket in each swordfish steak.
Spoon 1/3 cup stuffing into each steak.
Bake and serve
Place on greased baking sheet.
Brush with melted butter.
Sprinkle with salt and butter.
Bake at 400 °F for 8 to 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
Cover and heat remaining rice mixture in a baking dish until thoroughly heated.
Serve swordfish with heated rice mixture.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 9 of 11 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 113 |
| Parmesan Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 110 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Cottage Cheese | 1/2 cup (113g) 2% | 98 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Pea | 1/2 cup (72g) | 62 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Saffron | not in our table | 0 |
| Swordfish | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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.
-
Saffron + ricetop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together629 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Saffron + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together781 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Rice + peastop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,434 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
-
Butter + cottage cheesetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together376 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-decalactone (peach, creamy).
-
Saffron + peastop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together145 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Swordfish steaks
- Provide the main protein, which firms and turns opaque as it cooks.
- Saffron/yellow rice mix
- Forms the bulk of the stuffing, adding starch for body and mild flavor.
- Mayonnaise
- Adds fat and moisture so the stuffing stays creamy rather than dry.
- Butter or margarine
- Adds fat and promotes light browning on the fish surface.
The step that matters
Bake at 400 °F for 8 to 10 minutes. Swordfish is lean and cooks quickly; overbaking dries out the flesh and toughens it. Check for flaking at the short end of the time range.
Swap the saffron
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, peas, swordfish, butter, pepper, egg, cottage cheese):
- Parsleyfits better
- Garlicfits better
- Corianderfits better
- Saffronthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against rice, peas, swordfish, butter, pepper, egg, cottage cheese. 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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