Why it works: Mustard and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and 14,067 recipes mention both. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: milk, wheat, fish (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Prepare
Prepare and broil the herrings.
Make the sauce
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the stock, flour, salt, mustard, and vinegar. Mix well and heat until hot.
Serve
Serve the sauce in a boat alongside the herrings.
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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Mustard + vinegartop 4% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + flourtop 6% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together122,858 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + mustardtop 11% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together4,913 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + mustardtop 14% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together7,977 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Butter + vinegartop 14% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together13,453 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
Mustard and vinegar share little aroma chemistry, yet 14,067 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
- Herrings
- Provide the main fish, which is the dish's central protein.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness to the sauce, carrying flavour and giving it body.
- Flour
- Thickens the stock into a smooth sauce that coats the herrings.
- Mustard
- Adds sharp, pungent flavour that defines the sauce.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the rich butter sauce.
The step that matters
Heat the sauce until hot, mixing well. Flour must be fully combined and heated so it hydrates and thickens the stock evenly. Stirring prevents lumps, and gentle heat keeps the sharp mustard and vinegar from turning harsh or the sauce from breaking.
Flavor stand-ins for the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, flour, vinegar):
- Shallotbetter flavor fit
- Cucumberabout as good a flavor fit
- Mustardthe original
- Arrowrootabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, flour, vinegar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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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