Why it works: Cheddar cheese and lettuce work together. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and 296 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
The recipe
6 pattiesIngredients
Contains: egg, milk, wheat, soy, fish (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Also mentioned in the method: tofu
Directions
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 200 °C (fan 180 °C, gas mark 6).
Grease a large baking sheet with a little vegetable oil.
Make and shape the patties
Put the tuna into a large mixing bowl and mash it with a fork.
Add the carrots, onion, breadcrumbs, egg, cheese and fresh herbs.
Season with some pepper.
Shape the mixture into 6 patties and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake and serve
Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.
Leave to cool for a few minutes.
Serve on the lettuce leaves.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Cheddar cheese + lettucetop 10% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together296 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together8,053 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
-
Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together34,118 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Carrot + peppertop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together14,555 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Carrot + oniontop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together21,599 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
What each ingredient does
- Tuna
- Forms the main body of the patties and supplies savoury flavour.
- Egg
- Binds the mixture so the patties hold their shape while baking.
- Breadcrumbs
- Absorb moisture and help the patties hold together with a tender texture.
- Cheddar cheese
- Adds savoury richness and helps bind the mixture while melting slightly.
- Carrots
- Add moisture and gentle sweetness to the patties.
The step that matters
Shape the mixture into patties. The mixture must be firm enough to hold its shape. Too wet a mix can fall apart in the oven, while overworking it can make the patties dense.
Flavor stand-ins for the lettuce
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (carrot, onion, egg, cheddar cheese, parsley, pepper):
- Potatobetter flavor fit
- Capsicumbetter flavor fit
- Tomatobetter flavor fit
- Lettucethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against carrot, onion, egg, cheddar cheese, parsley, pepper. 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).
“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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