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Steak with Clams or Oysters

A sirloin steak topped with clams or oysters, seasoned with salt and pepper, baked until the shellfish are cooked.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Butter and clam work together. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 840 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓

Steak with Clams or Oysters

Oven, in the book's wordsA hot oven

Ingredients

Directions

The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

Sear the steak

  1. Broil the sirloin steak for 5 minutes, searing well on both sides.

  2. Remove the steak to a platter and butter it generously.

Top and bake

  1. Cover the steak with clams or fresh oysters.

  2. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and black pepper, then dot with bits of butter.

  3. Place in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C) and cook until the shellfish are done.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Butter + clamtop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together840 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  2. Clam + oystertop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together111 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  3. Butter + oystertop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together8,184 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).

  4. Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together85,593 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  5. Oyster + peppertop 22% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together7,663 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Sirloin steak
Forms the main meat base and browns under the broiler for a seared surface.
Butter
Adds richness and moisture, helping the steak and shellfish stay tender and flavorful.
Clams or oysters
Provide the briny seafood flavor and cook quickly in the hot oven.

The step that matters

Baking until the shellfish are done. Clams and oysters cook in minutes, and overcooked shellfish turn tough and rubbery. Checking them early keeps their texture tender while the steak stays juicy.

“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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