Why it works: Beef and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,092 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Curried Haddock
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Fillet the haddock and set aside.
If using, chop the onion.
Make the curry
In a pot, combine beef stock and water, then add curry powder.
If using, add the chopped onion to the pot.
Bring the mixture to a simmer and add the haddock fillets.
Cook for 1 hour until the fish is tender.
For added flavor, fry the fish in lard or oil for a few minutes before adding to the curry.
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.
-
Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Haddock + oniontop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together483 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Haddock + beeftop 28% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together34 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
- Haddock fillets
- Provides the main protein, which flakes and turns tender as it cooks in the curry.
- Beef stock
- Forms the liquid base of the curry and adds savory depth.
- Curry powder
- Supplies the spice blend that gives the curry its aroma and flavor.
The step that matters
Cook for 1 hour until the fish is tender. Fish proteins set and toughen with prolonged heat, so holding a long simmer can dry out and break up the fillets. Check for tenderness early and keep the liquid at a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil.
Swap the onion
The recipe marks onion as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (haddock, beef):
- Potatofits better
- Onionthe original
- Tomatofits about as well
- Chivefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against haddock, beef. 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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