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Salt Codfish, in Provence Fashion

Salt codfish cooked in oil, egg yolks, and capers until thick, served hot.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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Why it works: Egg and capers are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,311 recipes. Both carry 2-methylbutyraldehyde, which smells malty, chocolate. The science ↓

Salt Codfish, in Provence Fashion

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the cod

  1. Cut the codfish into very fine pieces using forks.

Make the brandade

  1. Heat ½ cup of oil in a stewpan until hot but not boiling.

  2. Add the codfish to the oil and stir well over gentle heat for 1 minute.

  3. Remove the stewpan from heat and add another ¼ cup of oil.

  4. Shake the saucepan for 2-3 minutes, then return the saucepan to the heat.

  5. Continue alternating adding oil and shaking until the codfish resembles a very thick porridge, about 30-60 minutes.

Finish and serve

  1. At serving time, mix in the egg yolks and capers, shaking well to combine.

  2. Serve hot.

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.

  1. Egg + caperstop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,311 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyraldehyde (malty, chocolate).

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

What each ingredient does

Codfish
Forms the bulk of the dish, breaking down into a thick, creamy porridge texture when beaten with oil.
Good oil
Carries the fish into an emulsified, smooth and rich texture as it is added gradually.
Egg yolks
Add richness and help bind the mixture into a smooth, emulsified texture.
Capers
Add a sharp, briny acidity that cuts through the richness of the oil and fish.

The step that matters

Adding the oil gradually while shaking. Oil must be added slowly and the pan kept moving so it emulsifies with the fish proteins; adding it too fast or over high heat can split the mixture and leave it greasy and grainy rather than 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.

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