Why it works: Oyster and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and 8,184 recipes mention both. Both carry 2,6-nonadienal, which smells cucumber, green. The science ↓
Oyster Soup with Water
Ingredients
Directions
Boil 1 quart of water in a pot.
Add 1 pint of oysters and boil for 5 minutes.
Skim out the oysters and set aside.
Add 1 pint of fresh oysters, salt, and pepper to taste.
Stir in 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 rolled cracker.
Bring the mixture to a boil and serve.
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.
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Oyster + buttertop 12% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together8,184 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Oysters
- Provide the main flavor and tender texture of the soup.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, rounded mouthfeel to the broth.
- Rolled cracker
- Thickens the broth slightly as it softens and absorbs liquid.
The step that matters
Adding the fresh oysters. Oysters overcook quickly and turn firm and rubbery when boiled too long. Adding the fresh oysters near the end and only bringing the mixture to a boil keeps them tender.
“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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