Why it works: Pepper and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Fish Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Heat plenty of clarified fat in a low saucepan.
Remove any skin or bones from the fish and shred it finely with two forks.
In a bowl, combine the potatoes, salt, and pepper.
Add milk (or melted butter) and one egg to bind, mixing thoroughly without making it too moist.
Gently stir in the fish, divide the mixture into small portions, and shape into cakes about 1 inch thick on a floured board.
Coat and fry
Place bread crumbs on a clean sheet of paper.
Beat the other egg on a plate, brush the cakes with it, and dip them in the crumbs.
Test the fat; if hot enough, fry the cakes for about 5 minutes.
Drain on kitchen paper and cover to absorb excess fat.
Serve
Serve on a hot dish, optionally with cooked potatoes.
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.
-
Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Potato + milktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,611 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
-
Fish + breadtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,668 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Fish
- Forms the main body of the cakes and gives them their flavor.
- Mashed potatoes
- Bind the mixture and add moisture and soft texture to the cakes.
- Eggs
- Bind the cakes and, beaten, help bread crumbs stick for a crisp coating.
- Milk or butter
- Adds moisture and richness so the mixture binds softly.
- Bread crumbs
- Form a crisp, golden outer coating when fried.
The step that matters
Mixing the binder. Too much milk or butter makes the mixture wet and loose, so the cakes may fall apart in the fat. Mix just enough to bind, and keep the potatoes warm so they blend evenly.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (fish, potato, milk, egg, pepper, mutton, bread):
- Parsleythe original
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Marjoramfits less well
- Thymefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against fish, potato, milk, egg, pepper, mutton, bread. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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.
More fish cakes recipes
You might also like
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Potato Croquettes255 recipes
Fried Fish120 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.