Dutch Sauce for Fish

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. Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together124,287 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

2. Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together106,462 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

3. Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together118,967 recipes

   Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

4. Butter + vinegartop 23% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together13,513 recipes

   Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).

5. Flour + vinegartop 27% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together8,652 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

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

What each ingredient does

Egg yolks

Emulsify and thicken the sauce as they set gently over heat.

Butter

Adds richness and fat that gives the sauce a smooth, glossy mouthfeel.

Flour

Provides a small amount of starch to stabilise the sauce and help it thicken.

Vinegar

Adds acidity that brightens the sauce and balances the richness of the butter and yolks.

The step that matters