Name: Scalloped Oysters
Ingredients: 1 pint oysters, drained; 2 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing; 1 cup cracker crumbs; ¼ teaspoon black pepper; ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt (formerly 'bay salt'); ½ cup oyster liquor

Why it works: Oyster and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,184 recipes. Both carry 2,6-nonadienal, which smells cucumber, green. The science ↓

Scalloped Oysters

Ingredients

1 pint oysters, drained
2 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing
1 cup cracker crumbs
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt (formerly 'bay salt')
½ cup oyster liquor

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

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Butter a baking dish.
In a bowl, mix cracker crumbs with pepper and salt.

Assemble and bake

Layer the dish with seasoned cracker crumbs, bits of butter, and oysters.
Repeat layers until the dish is filled, finishing with a layer of cracker crumbs.
Strain the oyster liquor and pour it over the top.

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.

Oyster + buttertop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together8,184 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together85,593 recipes

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

Oysters: Provide the main flavor and a tender, briny texture once baked.
Cracker crumbs: Absorb the liquor and butter, forming a soft, layered structure.
Butter: Adds richness and helps the top brown in the oven.
Oyster liquor: Adds moisture and briny flavor, softening the crumbs as they bake.

The step that matters

Pouring the oyster liquor over the top. The crumbs soak up the liquor as the dish sits. Too little leaves the casserole dry, while too much makes it soggy. Straining removes grit so the liquor stays clean and evenly flavored.

“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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Scalloped Oysters