Name: Fish Chowder
Ingredients: 1 pint milk; half tablespoonfuls of butter; a pint of milk; 3 lbs; 3 large potatoes; 1 large onion; 3 ship crackers; three broken ship crackers

Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Fish Chowder

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Cut the fish, the potatoes, and the onion into slices.
Cut the pork into half-inch dice.
Put the pork and the onion into a pan and saute them a light brown.

Layer and simmer

Place in alternate layers in a large saucepan: first potatoes, then fish, then pork and onion; dust with salt and pepper, and continue in this order until all the materials are used.
Cover the whole with boiling water and let the mixture simmer for twenty minutes.

Finish and serve

Scald a pint of milk or cream, take it off the fire and add one and a half tablespoonfuls of butter and three broken ship crackers or the same quantity of water biscuits.
Arrange the fish mixture in a mound on a dish, cover it with the softened crackers, and pour over the whole the hot milk.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

911Calories

27 gProtein

21 gFat

154 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 5 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44

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

By Mary Ronald. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Project Gutenberg).

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.

Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,023 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Milk + potatotop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,611 recipes

Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
Butter + potatotop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,456 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Butter + oniontop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together42,912 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

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

What each ingredient does

Potatoes: Hold their shape as slices and add body and starch to the broth.
Fish (in the method): Provides the main protein and flavor of the chowder.
Pork (in the method): Adds savory, browned flavor when sauteed before layering.
Milk: Makes the rich, creamy liquid poured over the finished dish.
Ship crackers: Soften and thicken the dish, adding body to the milk.