Why it works: Parsley and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 25,843 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Reef Croquettes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the filling
Chop any leftover beef and add half the quantity of bread crumbs.
Fry 1 finely chopped onion in a saucepan with a teaspoon of butter until brown.
Mix the onion with the beef; also add 1 teaspoon chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon white pepper, and 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg.
Crack in 2 raw eggs and 1 tablespoon cream, and mix hard for 5 minutes.
Let stand until well set.
Fry and serve
Roll out into croquettes, roll in flour, and fry in a skillet with a little lard or butter.
Turn, remove, drain, and serve with horseradish sauce around them.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| 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.
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.
-
Parsley + oniontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,843 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Onion + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together42,912 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Parsley + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together28,563 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
-
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Parsley + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,765 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Raw eggs
- Bind the mixture so the croquettes hold their shape when rolled and fried.
- Bread crumbs (in the method)
- Absorb moisture and add body to the meat so the mixture firms up.
- Beef (in the method)
- Forms the main body of the croquettes, giving them their savory flavor and bulk.
- Onion
- Adds savory sweetness and aroma when fried until brown.
The step that matters
Let stand until well set. The mixture needs time to firm up so the croquettes keep their shape. Rolling and frying too soon can cause them to break apart in the pan.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (parsley, butter, egg):
- Shallotfits better
- Chivefits better
- Leekfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against parsley, butter, egg. 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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