Name: Cod, Olive Oil, and Cream Sauce
Ingredients: 1 lb salt cod , skinless and boneless; 1 cup olive oil; ½ cup milk or heavy cream; 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice , or to taste; 1 cup finely- chopped onion; 2 cloves garlic , pressed or grated with a microplane; Pepper

Why it works: Lemon and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,047 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓

Cod, Olive Oil, and Cream Sauce

Oven400ºF (200ºC)

Time30 to 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb salt cod , skinless and boneless
1 cup olive oil
½ cup milk or heavy cream
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice , or to taste
1 cup finely- chopped onion
2 cloves garlic , pressed or grated with a microplane
Pepper

Directions

Prepare the cod

Place the salt cod in a large bowl of cold water.
Soak for 24 hours, changing the water several times.
When the fish has completely rehydrated, it is ready for the next step.
Poach the cod in plain water for 25 minutes or until it flakes easily when tested.
Drain and break it into pieces.

Make the brandade

Cook the onion in olive oil over low heat until translucent.
In a food processor, purée the cod, onion, and garlic with half of the olive oil.
With the motor running, add the milk or cream, rest of the oil, lemon juice and pepper.
Blend until smooth.
If it is too thick, thin with milk or cream.

Serve

Serve on toast or over potato slices, coated with olive oil and roasted in a 400ºF (200ºC) oven for 30 to 40 minutes, turning once.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

593Calories

30 gProtein

40 gFat

29 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 9 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Salmon	100g cooked	208
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

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.

Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together27,047 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together17,451 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Olive + lemontop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together11,922 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Olive + oniontop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together29,779 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Lemon + clovetop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together8,150 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

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

What each ingredient does

Salt cod: Provides the main body and flavour, and flakes into the creamy purée.
Olive oil: Adds richness and a silky texture as it emulsifies into the purée.
Milk or heavy cream: Adds moisture and softness, loosening the purée to a smooth consistency.
Onion: Adds sweetness and aroma when cooked slowly until translucent.
Garlic: Adds pungent aroma that mellows and blends into the purée.
Lemon juice: Adds acidity that brightens the rich, salty fish.

The step that matters

Adding the oil and milk while the motor runs. Adding liquid slowly to the blended cod lets the oil emulsify into a smooth, creamy purée. Adding it too fast can split the mixture into a greasy, loose texture.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, milk, lemon, clove, pepper):

Capsicumfits better
Tomatofits better
Spinachfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, milk, lemon, clove, pepper. 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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Cod, Olive Oil, and Cream Sauce