Why it works: Vinegar and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,814 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Soused Mackerel
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fish
Boil the mackerel, then remove the heads and skin.
Split the fish open and take away the backbones.
Season and pickle
Place one fish in a deep dish and season with pepper, salt, and bay leaves.
Lay the second fish on top and season again.
Mix the liquor and vinegar, then pour over the fish.
Set the dish aside in a cool place.
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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Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Fish + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,948 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Vinegar + fishtop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,036 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mackerel
- Forms the main body of the dish, becoming firm and flaky once boiled.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens the flavour and helps preserve the fish.
- Liquor from boiling the fish
- Carries flavour and moisture from the cooked fish into the pickling mixture.
The step that matters
Set the dish aside in a cool place. Acid slowly penetrates and firms the fish while it cures. Keeping it cool slows spoilage and lets the vinegar work evenly without the flesh turning soft.
“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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