Name: To Broil Mackerel
Ingredients: Mackerel; Salt; Pepper; Butter; Tomato ketchup

Why it works: Pepper and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,923 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

To Broil Mackerel

Ingredients

Directions

Place the mackerel over hot coals and cook until browned.
Turn the mackerel and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Serve with plenty of butter and tomato ketchup.

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.

Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,923 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Pepper + buttertop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together85,593 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Butter + tomatotop 22% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,918 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Tomato + ketchuptop 22% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together754 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Butter + ketchuptop 24% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together2,784 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

Mackerel: Oily flesh that browns on the surface while staying moist and flaky inside.
Butter: Adds richness and a silky, moist mouthfeel to the cooked fish.
Tomato ketchup: Adds sweetness and acidity that contrast with the rich, oily fish.