Why it works: Lemon and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and 27,047 recipes mention both. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Tartar Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Beat the butter until creamy.
Gradually add the egg yolks, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and salt.
Cook and thin
Cook over boiling water, beating continuously with an egg beater until it begins to thicken (about 1 minute).
Slowly add the boiling water while continuing to beat.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Butter + lemontop 16% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together41,227 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Lemon + eggtop 19% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
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Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Lemon and egg share little aroma chemistry, yet 44,316 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Adds richness and a creamy body that carries the other flavours.
- Egg yolks
- Their proteins emulsify the butter and set into a thick, smooth sauce when gently heated.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the sauce and cuts the richness of the butter and yolks.
The step that matters
Cooking the egg yolks over boiling water. Egg yolk proteins thicken with heat but curdle if they get too hot. Beating constantly over gentle, indirect heat spreads the heat evenly and keeps the sauce smooth. Stop as soon as it begins to thicken.
“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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