Name: Oyster Cocktail II
Ingredients: 6 small raw oysters; Tabasco Sauce; Lemon juice; Salt; Grape fruit

Why it works: Lemon and grape are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,412 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Oyster Cocktail II

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Cut grapefruit in halves crosswise.
Remove tough portions.

Serve

Add oysters seasoned with Tabasco, lemon juice, and salt.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

155Calories

11 gProtein

3 gFat

25 gCarbs

Counts 4 of 6 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Oyster	6 medium (84g)	81
Grape	1/2 cup (76g)	62
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Sauce	not in our table	0
Fruit	not in our table	0

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

By Fannie Merritt Farmer. 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.

Lemon + grapetop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,412 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Oyster + saucetop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,233 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Oyster + grapetop 26% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together86 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
Oyster + lemontop 26% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,942 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sauce + grapetop 29% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together306 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

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

What each ingredient does

Oysters: Provide the main raw seafood flavor and the tender, briny base of the cocktail.
Lemon juice: Adds acidity that brightens the oysters and balances their brininess.
Grapefruit (in the method): Adds fresh citrus acidity and a slightly bitter note to the dish.