Why it works: Fish and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,036 recipes. Both carry acetoin, which smells butter, cream. The science ↓
Fish, Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Clean the fish thoroughly without over-washing to preserve flavor.
For boiling, add a little salt and vinegar to the water for firmness.
If using fresh-water fish, soak it in strong salt and water after cleaning.
Place the fish in cold water and heat gently to avoid breaking the skin.
Check if the fish is ready by seeing if it separates easily from the bone.
Remove the fish from the water immediately to prevent it from becoming woolly.
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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Fish + vinegartop 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
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