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Broiled Shad

A whole shad is marinated, broiled, and finished with butter.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Olive and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 30,263 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Broiled Shad

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Split the shad down the back and place it on a platter with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

  2. Let it marinate for 1 hour, turning occasionally.

  3. Rub the bars of a double gridiron with oil to prevent sticking.

Broil and finish

  1. Lay the fish on the gridiron and broil slowly, starting with the inside.

  2. Turn the fish frequently and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on its size.

  3. Check that the bone can be easily lifted to determine doneness.

  4. Remove the bone.

  5. Spread a generous piece of butter on the fish.

  6. Season with salt and pepper.

  7. Place it in the oven for 1 minute.

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.

  1. Olive + peppertop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together30,263 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Olive + buttertop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,887 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  3. Pepper + buttertop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together85,593 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Shad
Is the main protein, cooked by slow broiling until the flesh is firm and flaky.
Olive oil
Coats the fish during marinating and the gridiron, reducing sticking and keeping the flesh moist.
Butter
Adds richness and moisture to the finished fish as it is spread over the hot flesh.

The step that matters

Broiling slowly and turning frequently. Slow, even heat with frequent turning cooks the thick flesh through without drying or charring the surface. Starting inside-up protects the skin side from burning before the fish is done.

“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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