Why it works: Vinegar and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,814 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Quintessence of Anchovy
Ingredients
Directions
Pound the anchovies in a mortar until they form a pulp.
Transfer the pulp to a clean saucepan.
Add the cold spring water or vinegar to the mortar, shake, and pour it into the saucepan with the anchovies.
Place the saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently until melted, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the cayenne pepper and let it warm for a few more minutes.
Rub the mixture through a fine sieve using the back of a wooden spoon.
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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Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Anchovies
- Provide the main salty, savoury flavour and break down into the paste's body.
- Cold spring water or vinegar
- Loosens the pounded anchovies so they melt smoothly into a spreadable texture.
The step that matters
Heating over low heat. Low, gentle heat with frequent stirring melts the anchovy pulp evenly without scorching it, which would turn the paste bitter and dark.
“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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