Why it works: Egg and potato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 29% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,978 recipes. Both carry (e)-2-octenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Cod Fish Balls
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Mash the codfish until very smooth.
Add the mashed potatoes and one beaten egg, then mix thoroughly.
Form the mixture into small balls about the size of an English walnut.
Coat and fry
Roll each ball in flour, then dip in egg, and coat with cracker crumbs.
Fry the balls in deep fat until golden brown.
Drain and serve
Drain on paper towels, then pile on a platter and garnish with fried potatoes and parsley.
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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Egg + potatotop 29% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,978 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Codfish
- Provides the main fish flavor and most of the body of the balls.
- Mashed potatoes
- Add starch and softness, keeping the centre of the balls tender.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and give the coating something for the crumbs to stick to.
- Cracker crumbs
- Form a crisp, browned outer crust when the balls are fried.
The step that matters
Frying in deep fat until golden brown. If the fat is too cool, the coating soaks up oil and turns greasy; if it is too hot, the outside browns before the centre heats through. Frying at a steady, moderate heat gives a crisp crust and a fully cooked interior.
“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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