Why it works: Onion and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 68,474 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Pickled Herring
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the herring
Take one-half dozen small Holland or Eastern herrings out of the brine, split them through the back, and soak them in cold water overnight.
In the morning clean the herrings nicely.
Cut the herrings crosswise into strips of one-half an inch.
Pickle and store
Put the strips into a deep dish with one-half dozen good sized onions sliced thin.
Season with pepper and three tablespoonfuls of brown sugar.
Pour enough vinegar to cover the herrings.
The mixture will be ready for use at supper and will keep a week or more in a cool place.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
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.
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Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Onion + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,226 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Pepper + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sugar + peppertop 32% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,401 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 19,401 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
- Herring (in the method)
- Forms the main body of the dish, with its rich flesh taking on the pickling flavour.
- Vinegar
- Acidity that preserves the fish and gives the pickle its sharp flavour.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the sharpness of the vinegar.
- Onions
- Add sharp aroma and flavour that soften and mellow during pickling.
The step that matters
Soaking the herring overnight. Soaking draws out brine and excess salt from the fish. Skipping or shortening it leaves the pickle too salty, so the sweet and sour balance does not come through.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, pepper, vinegar):
- Capsicumfits better
- Mustardfits better
- Cabbagefits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, pepper, vinegar. 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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