Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Pat& of Salt Cod
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the filling
Boil the soaked salt cod until cooked, then let it cool and flake into boneless pieces.
Boil the oyster liquor.
Stir in the corn starch mixed with cold milk until thickened.
Add the butter, pepper, parsley, and flaked fish to the thickened mixture.
Heat almost to boiling.
Stir in the chopped eggs.
Cover over a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes.
Assemble and bake
Line a buttered cake mold or round pan with puff paste, pricking the bottom to prevent excessive puffing.
Cut a round piece of puff paste for the top cover.
Bake both the shell and cover in a 400°F (200°C) oven.
Once cooled, carefully turn out the shell.
Fill it with the prepared fish mixture.
Place the top on.
Invert the pâté onto a hot plate and serve hot.
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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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Rice + parsleytop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,762 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Rice + peppertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,379 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Oyster + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,184 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
-
Oyster + eggtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,103 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
- Salt cod
- Provides the main flaked fish body and savory flavor of the filling.
- Corn starch
- Thickens the oyster liquor and milk into a smooth, sliceable binding base.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth mouthfeel to the filling.
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Add body and a creamy texture that helps bind the filling.
- Puff paste
- Forms the crisp, flaky shell and top that encloses the filling.
The step that matters
Thickening the starch mixture. Corn starch must be fully mixed in cold milk before it meets hot liquid, then brought to a boil, so it gelatinizes evenly and sets the filling without lumps.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (oyster, rice, butter, pepper, egg):
- Parsleythe original
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Turmericfits less well
- Capersfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against oyster, rice, butter, pepper, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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