Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Deviled Oysters
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the filling
Drain the oysters, chop them finely, and drain again.
Bring the cream to a boil.
Rub the butter and flour together, then stir into the boiling cream.
Once thickened, remove from heat and add the chopped oysters, parsley, and beaten egg yolks.
Fill and bake
Wash the oyster shells clean and fill them with the mixture.
Sprinkle bread crumbs on top.
Place the shells in a baking pan and brown in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 5 minutes.
Serve in the shells or in baking dishes.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + parsleytop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together16,675 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Oyster + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,184 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Oysters
- Provide the main savoury flavour and the bulk of the filling.
- Cream
- Forms the rich, moist base that the thickened filling is built on.
- Flour
- Thickens the boiling cream into a smooth, spreadable sauce.
- Butter
- Adds richness and helps bind the flour into the sauce.
- Egg yolks
- Enrich and bind the filling, adding body and a custard-like set.
The step that matters
Thickening the cream. Rubbing butter and flour together before stirring them into boiling cream prevents lumps and lets starch swell evenly, giving a smooth sauce. Adding the egg yolks after removing the pan from heat avoids scrambling them.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (oyster, cream, butter, flour, egg, pepper):
- Nutmegfits better
- Parsleythe original
- Capersfits about as well
- Tarragonfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against oyster, cream, butter, flour, egg, pepper. 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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