Why it works: Bluefish and haddock share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Boiling Fish
Ingredients
Directions
Boil bass for 10 minutes per pound.
Boil bluefish for 10 minutes per pound.
Boil fresh cod or haddock for 6 minutes per pound.
Boil halibut for 15 minutes per pound.
Boil salmon for 15 minutes per pound.
Boil small fish for 6 to 8 minutes per pound.
Boil oysters for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the edges curl.
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.
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Bluefish + haddocktop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Salmon + oystertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together672 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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Fish + oystertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together496 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Salmon + fishtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,078 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Haddock + salmontop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together448 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
- Bass
- Main protein; its flesh turns opaque and firms as the proteins set during boiling.
- Bluefish
- Main protein; its flesh turns opaque and firms as the proteins set during boiling.
- Fresh cod
- Main protein; its flesh turns opaque and flakes as the proteins set during boiling.
- Haddock
- Main protein; its flesh turns opaque and flakes as the proteins set during boiling.
- Halibut
- Main protein; its flesh turns opaque and firms as the proteins set during boiling.
- Salmon
- Main protein; its flesh turns opaque and flakes as the proteins set during boiling.
The step that matters
Boil each fish for its time per pound. Cooking time depends on the fish's weight and type. Past the set point, proteins keep tightening, squeezing out moisture and leaving the flesh dry and tough. Check for opaque, flaky flesh early.
“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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