Why it works: Pepper and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,451 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓
Empada De Peixe À Maniera De Macao
Ingredients
Directions
Make the pastry
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a medium mixing bowl.
Using a pastry cutter or two knives, work cold butter and cold margarine into the flour until it resembles coarse meal.
Make a well in the center of the mixture and add egg, egg yolk, and port; beat together with a fork until frothy.
Gradually work in flour until the mixture just holds together.
Knead the dough a few times on a lightly floured surface using the heel of your hand, pressing down and away from you to make a smooth, dense dough.
Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a round.
Roll out each round on a lightly floured surface into a circle; repeat for all 8 circles.
Cook the fish filling
Run your fingers over the fish filets and remove any bones you feel.
Generously season the fish with salt and pepper, then lightly dredge in flour.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and fry the fish on both sides, about 1 minute per side.
Remove the fish from the skillet and set aside.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the same pan.
Add garlic and half the scallions; cook until soft and fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add cumin, coriander, and turmeric; cook for 30 seconds.
Add 1/2 cup water and return the fish to the skillet.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer until the fish is just cooked through, about 4 minutes.
Allow the fish to cool, then use a fork to break it into large chunks.
Assemble and bake
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Fit one pastry round into an 8-inch pie pan and press the dough to fit the pan with your fingertips.
Spoon the fish filling into the pie shell.
Sprinkle the remaining scallions and chopped mint over the filling.
Scatter green olives on top.
Sprinkle freshly grated Parmigiano‑Reggiano over the olives.
Cover the pie with the remaining pastry round, crimp the edges, and cut a few slits in the center to allow steam to escape.
Bake until the crust is golden and the filling is hot, about 35 minutes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 13 of 17 ingredients. The other 4 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 13 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Snapper | 100g cooked | 128 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Turmeric | 1 tsp ground (3g) | 9 |
| Cumin | 1 tsp ground (2.1g) | 8 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Olive | 1 large (4g) | 4 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Pastry | not in our table | 0 |
| Pie | not in our table | 0 |
| Coriander | not in our table | 0 |
| Peppermint | 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.
-
Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Olive + clovetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,866 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Pepper + olivetop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,263 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Butter and margarine
- Cut in cold, they create flaky layers as they melt and steam during baking.
- Flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the pastry its structure.
- Egg
- Binds the dough and adds richness and color to the crust.
- Red snapper filets
- Provides the main protein, which firms and flakes as it cooks.
- Green olives
- Add salty, briny flavor that contrasts with the rich filling.
- Parmigiano-reggiano
- Adds savory, salty depth and helps the top brown.
The step that matters
Cooking the fish until just cooked through. Fish protein sets quickly and turns dry and tough when overcooked, so it should be removed as soon as it turns opaque and flakes easily.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, sugar, butter, egg, snapper, pepper, olive):
- Capersfits better
- Parsleyfits better
- Turmericfits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, sugar, butter, egg, snapper, pepper, olive. 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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