Why it works: Butter and anchovy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,697 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓
Anchovy Butter
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, combine the butter, Cayenne, and anchovy paste.
Pound all ingredients together until well mixed.
Pass the mixture through a fine sieve to achieve a smooth texture.
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 their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Butter + anchovytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,697 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Provides fat and a smooth, spreadable base that carries the other flavours.
- Anchovy paste
- Adds a salty, savoury depth that gives the butter its main flavour.
- Cayenne
- Adds gentle heat and a sharp, peppery aroma.
The step that matters
Pass the mixture through a fine sieve. Sieving breaks up small lumps and any stringy bits so the butter spreads evenly and feels smooth on the tongue.
“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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