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Oyster Croquettes

Fried oyster and veal croquettes coated in cracker crumbs.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Oyster and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,184 recipes. Both carry 2,6-nonadienal, which smells cucumber, green. The science ↓

Oyster Croquettes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Chop the oysters and veal finely.

  2. Soak the cracker crumbs in the oyster liquor.

  3. Mix all ingredients together.

Shape and fry

  1. Spread dry cracker crumbs on a clean surface.

  2. Shape a spoonful of the mixture into your desired shape.

  3. Roll the shaped mixture in the dry cracker crumbs.

  4. Fry in hot lard until golden brown.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

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.

  1. Oyster + buttertop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together8,184 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).

  2. Oyster + eggtop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,103 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  3. Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together118,967 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  4. Oyster + vealtop 19% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together988 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).

  5. Veal + buttertop 23% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,381 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

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

What each ingredient does

Raw oysters
Provide the main flavour and the moist, savoury body of the croquette.
Cooked veal
Adds bulk and a meaty texture that holds the mixture together.
Egg yolks
Bind the mixture and help it set firmly when cooked.
Cracker crumbs
Absorb moisture and give the mixture body, while dry crumbs form a crisp, browned coating.
Butter
Adds richness and a tender, smooth texture to the filling.

The step that matters

Fry in hot lard until golden brown. Frying in hot fat quickly crisps and browns the crumb coating before the soft filling overheats or leaks out. Lard that is too cool lets the croquettes absorb grease and turn soggy.

“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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