Name: Brown Stew of Eels and Mushrooms
Ingredients: 2 pounds eels, dressed and washed; Salted water; Flour, for coating; Salt, to taste; Pepper, to taste; Butter, for frying; 1 can mushrooms or fresh mushrooms, cleaned and chopped; Boiling water, enough to cover; Optional: glass of wine

Why it works: Butter and mushroom are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,525 recipes. Both carry trans-2-decenal, which smells waxy, orange. The science ↓

Brown Stew of Eels and Mushrooms

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the eels

Cut the eels into two-inch lengths and wash them in plenty of cold, salted water.
Place the eels in a pot with enough cold water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil.
Drain the eels and dry them on a clean cloth.
Roll the dried eels in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.

Prepare the mushrooms

If using fresh mushrooms, clean and chop them. If using canned mushrooms, set aside the liquid.

Brown and stew

Heat enough butter in a saucepan to prevent burning. Brown the eels evenly in the butter.
Add the mushrooms and enough boiling water to cover the eels. Season with salt and pepper.
If using canned mushrooms, add the reserved liquid. Cook for about 20 minutes until both eels and mushrooms are tender.
Serve hot, adding a glass of wine if desired.

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.

Butter + mushroomtop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together12,525 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
Mushroom + winetop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,632 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-propylphenol (allspice, anise).
Pepper + mushroomtop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together13,580 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together124,287 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter + winetop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together8,645 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).

Flour and butter 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

Eels: Provide the main protein and, when simmered until tender, a firm, rich texture.
Flour: Coats the eels so they brown evenly and help thicken the cooking liquid.
Butter: Conducts heat for browning the eels and adds rich flavor.
Mushrooms: Add earthy flavor and moisture to the stew as they cook.

The step that matters

Brown the eels evenly in the butter. Browning builds flavor through the Maillard reaction, which needs dry surfaces and enough hot fat. Flour-coated eels that are not dried first steam instead of browning, and butter that is too hot can burn before the eels color.

“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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Brown Stew of Eels and Mushrooms