Why it works: Fish and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,668 recipes. Both carry 2-undecenal, which smells sweet. The science ↓
Fish Croquettes
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Combine the white sauce, minced fish, and bread crumbs in a bowl.
Shape the mixture into croquettes.
Cook
Fry the croquettes in hot oil until golden brown.
Alternatively, bake the croquettes in a 400°F (200°C) oven until heated through.
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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Fish + breadtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,668 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
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Sauce + fishtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,487 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sauce + breadtop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,934 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- White sauce
- Binds the fish into a moist mixture that holds its shape when shaped.
- Minced white fish
- Forms the main body of the croquettes, providing the filling's texture and flavor.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorbs moisture and firms the mixture so the croquettes hold together.
The step that matters
Shape the mixture into croquettes. The mixture must be firm enough to hold its shape. If it is too wet, the croquettes can fall apart during frying or baking, so the binding from the white sauce and bread crumbs matters.
“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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