Why it works: Lemon and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and 27,039 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: egg, milk, wheat, fish (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Mix the breadcrumbs, herbs, lemon rind, and seasonings together.
Wash the cod in saltwater and dry it well.
Brush the cod with beaten egg and dust it thickly with the seasoned crumbs.
Bake and serve
Place the cod on a drainer and bake in a moderate oven (350°F/175°C), basting frequently with butter, for about 1.5 hours.
When half done, turn the cod and brush it again with egg.
Sprinkle the cod with the remaining seasoned crumbs and return it to the oven to finish baking.
Serve very hot with white or Dutch sauce.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Lemon + peppertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together27,039 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + buttertop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together118,511 recipes
Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
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Lemon + buttertop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together41,197 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Lemon + eggtop 9% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together43,327 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
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Pepper + buttertop 11% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together85,512 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cod
- Forms the main body of the dish, cooking through gently in the oven while staying moist.
- Breadcrumbs
- Form a crisp, golden crust that protects the fish as it bakes.
- Egg
- Acts as a binder so the breadcrumbs stick to the fish during baking.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture, and promotes browning when basted over the fish.
The step that matters
Turning the cod at the halfway point. Turning and re-brushing with egg helps the crumb coating stay in place and bake evenly, so the bottom does not dry out or the crust does not fall off.
“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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