Why it works: Whiting and anchovy share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and 82 recipes mention both. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: milk, wheat, fish, shellfish (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Place the whiting in a buttered bag.
Add the oysters and mushrooms between the whiting.
Mix the butter with the flour, then add the shrimps and anchovy paste.
Spread the mixture over the whiting.
Pour in the white wine.
Bake and serve
Seal the bag and cook for 15 minutes.
Serve the whiting on a dish and squeeze lemon juice over them.
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.
-
Whiting + anchovytop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together82 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Mushroom + white winetop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,704 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity).
-
Mushroom + buttertop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together12,516 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
-
Butter + white winetop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together5,039 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Oyster + anchovytop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together601 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Whiting
- Forms the main body of the dish, cooking gently in the sealed bag to stay moist.
- Oysters
- Release their briny juices into the bag, adding savoury depth to the sauce.
- Mushrooms
- Release moisture as they cook, adding earthy flavour to the juices.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, helping the sauce become smooth and flavourful.
- Flour
- Thickens the cooking juices into a light, cohesive sauce.
- White wine
- Adds acidity and aroma that brighten the fish and the sauce.
The step that matters
Seal the bag and cook for 15 minutes. The bag traps steam so the fish cooks in its own juices. Sealing it properly keeps moisture in, and overcooking would make the delicate whiting dry and firm.
“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.
You might also like
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
IllustrationThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.