Why it works: Parsnip and potato work together. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 353 recipes. Both carry 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells green bell pepper, earthy. The science ↓
Salt Fish
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the cod
Soak the salt cod in water overnight.
Boil the soaked cod in fresh water for about 1 hour until tender.
Remove the fish from the pot and separate the flakes.
Assemble and bake
In a dish, layer the cod flakes with mashed parsnips and potatoes.
Sprinkle cayenne pepper over the layers.
If using, prepare an egg sauce by boiling the egg and slicing it.
Bake the layered dish at 350°F (175°C) for about 20 minutes.
Serve
Serve hot, garnished with sliced egg or drizzled with melted butter.
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.
-
Parsnip + potatotop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together353 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
-
Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Parsnip + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,109 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Butter + potatotop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Butter + saucetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together15,338 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Butter and sauce barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 15,338 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
- Salt cod
- Provides the main protein and savory, salty flavor that the dish is built around.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, contributing moisture and a smooth mouthfeel to the finished dish.
- Parsnips
- Mashed, they add body, natural sweetness and moisture to the layers.
- Potatoes
- Mashed, they add starch that gives the layers a soft, creamy body.
The step that matters
Soaking and boiling the salt cod. Salt cod is very salty and firm when dried. Soaking it overnight draws out salt and rehydrates the flesh, and boiling until tender makes the fish flake easily. Skipping or shortening either step leaves the dish too salty or tough.
Swap the parsnip
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, potato, pepper, egg, sauce):
- Capsicumfits better
- Chivefits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Parsnipthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, potato, pepper, egg, sauce. 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.
You might also like
Potato Croquettes255 recipes
Potato Rolls78 recipes
Potato Chips53 recipes
Sweet Potato Croquettes53 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.