Why it works: Parsley and shallot match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,737 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Anchovy Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the sauce
Melt the butter in a saucepan.
Stir in the flour and moisten with broth or water.
Add the parsley, shallots, and anchovies, stirring well.
Cook over medium heat, adding more broth or water to achieve desired consistency.
Allow to boil for 5 to 6 minutes.
Finish and serve
Season with a pinch of pepper and serve in a sauceboat.
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 + shallottop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,737 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Flour + shallottop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,081 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Shallot + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,898 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter and flour 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
- Butter
- Forms the fat base that carries the other flavors and gives the sauce richness.
- Flour
- Thickens the butter and liquid into a smooth, cohesive sauce body.
- Anchovies
- Provide a deep, savory, salty flavor that defines the sauce.
- Shallots
- Add a mild, sweet-sharp onion aroma as they soften in the fat.
The step that matters
Adding broth or water gradually. Flour thickens as it hydrates in fat and liquid, so adding too much liquid at once can leave lumps or a sauce that is too thin. Adding liquid in small amounts and simmering lets the starch swell evenly and gives control over the final consistency.
Swap the shallot
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, flour, parsley, pepper):
- Shallotthe original
- Carrotfits about as well
- Chivefits less well
- Okrafits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, flour, parsley, pepper. 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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