Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Fish Souffle
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the base
Pound the fish in a mortar until smooth.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.
Add the flour to the butter and cook without browning.
Stir in the fish stock and milk, cooking for 10 minutes on low heat.
Remove from heat and beat in the egg yolks one at a time.
Add the pounded fish and season with pepper and salt, mixing well.
Fold and bake
Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt, then fold into the mixture.
Prepare a well-buttered souffle tin with a band of stiff paper around it, extending 2 inches above the tin.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin immediately after adding the egg whites.
Bake in a moderate oven (350°F / 175°C) for 45 minutes.
Remove the paper and wrap a folded napkin or fancy paper around the tin.
Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley if desired and serve immediately.
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 + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Fish + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,488 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Fish + milktop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,432 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-heptenal (creamy, biscuit).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they 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
- Eggs
- Yolks enrich the base and whites, whipped to stiff peaks, lift the soufflé as it bakes.
- Flour
- Thickens the butter and milk into a stable base that holds the soufflé's structure.
- White fish
- Provides the main flavour and body of the soufflé once pounded smooth.
- Butter
- Forms the roux with the flour and adds richness to the base.
- Milk
- Combines with the stock to make a smooth, creamy base for the soufflé.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whites beaten to stiff peaks trap air that expands in the oven. Folding gently keeps that air in, so the soufflé rises instead of collapsing. Bake it right after folding, before the air escapes.
“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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