Why it works: Oyster and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 22% of all ingredient pairs, and 7,663 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Oyster Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the oysters
Pour 2 pints of water over 1 quart of oysters and stir well.
Remove the oysters, draining them in a colander.
Strain the oyster liquor.
Make the soup
Heat the strained liquor and skim off any impurities.
Add another pint of water or milk to the strained liquor.
Season with 2 teaspoons of salt and pepper to taste.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Gently add the oysters and stir gently.
Remove from heat just before it boils again.
Serve.
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.
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Oyster + peppertop 22% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together7,663 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Oysters
- Provide the main flavor and tender body of the soup.
- Water
- Draws out the oyster liquor and thins the soup to a brothy consistency.
- Milk (in the method)
- Adds richness and softness to the broth, if used in place of water.
The step that matters
Remove from heat just before it boils again. Oysters toughen and shrink when overcooked. Holding the soup just below a boil after adding them keeps them tender and plump.
“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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