Why it works: Lemon and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and 27,047 recipes mention both. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Tartare Sauce for Fish
Ingredients
Directions
Beat the butter until creamy.
Gradually add the egg yolks, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and salt.
Cook over boiling water, beating continuously with an egg beater until it thickens.
Slowly add the boiling water while continuing to beat the mixture.
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.
-
Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Butter + lemontop 16% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together41,227 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Lemon + eggtop 19% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
-
Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Lemon and egg share little aroma chemistry, yet 44,316 recipes mention both: they likely 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
- Butter
- Provides fat and a creamy, rich body to the sauce.
- Egg yolks
- Emulsify the butter and thicken the sauce as they gently cook.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that sharpens the flavour and balances the richness.
- Boiling water
- Adds moisture that loosens the thickened mixture into a smooth sauce.
The step that matters
Cook over boiling water while beating continuously. Egg yolks thicken gently with steady heat and constant stirring. Too much heat or stopping to rest can scramble the yolks into lumps, and the sauce will not become smooth.
“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.
You might also like
Hot Lemon Cream Sauce11 recipes
Wine Sauce (for stewed fruit)186 recipes
Caper Sauce180 recipes
Brown Sauce141 recipesThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.