Why it works: Pepper and corn are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,324 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Broiled Fish
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare and broil
Wash and drain the fish.
Sprinkle the fish with pepper and place it inside down on the grill.
Broil over fresh, bright coals.
When browned, turn the fish for a moment on the other side.
Finish and serve
Spread butter on the fish before serving.
For added flavor, place 2 or 3 corn cobs under the grill to create smoke.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Pepper + corntop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,324 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Fish + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,488 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + corntop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,345 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
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Fish + corntop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together70 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Fish + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,948 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
- Fish
- Is the main cooked protein, whose flesh sets firm and flakes as it cooks.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture to the finished fish.
- Corn cobs
- Produce smoke that adds aroma to the fish.
The step that matters
Turning the fish. Turn the fish only once it is browned, and only briefly. Browning develops flavor and a crust that holds the flesh together, while overcooking dries the fish and makes it fall apart.
“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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