Why it works: Lemon and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and 27,039 recipes mention both. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Filling for Oyster Patties
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the oysters
Blanch the oysters in their own liquor.
Remove the gills.
Cut them in half.
Make the sauce
Melt the butter in a pan.
Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the oyster liquor and fish stock, and bring to a boil.
Add the cream and season with lemon juice and cayenne.
Finish and serve
Stir in the oysters.
Heat until hot.
Fill the patty cases.
Serve.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Lemon + peppertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together27,039 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Oyster + fishtop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together488 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Butter + creamtop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together41,494 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Butter + fishtop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together4,432 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Butter + oystertop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together8,175 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Cooked with butter to form a roux that thickens the filling.
- Butter
- Fat that carries flavour and forms the base for the roux.
- Oyster liquor
- Adds concentrated briny oyster flavour to the sauce.
- Fish stock
- Liquid that loosens the roux into a flavourful sauce.
- Cream
- Adds richness and a smoother, silkier texture to the sauce.
- Oysters
- Main ingredient providing the filling's delicate seafood flavour and texture.
The step that matters
Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes. The flour must cook in the melted butter long enough to lose its raw taste and to thicken properly. Skipping this time leaves a floury flavour and a weak, pasty sauce once the liquid is added.
“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.
You might also like
Lemon Sauce236 recipes
Fried Fish120 recipes
Fish Croquettes81 recipes
Scalloped Cod69 recipesThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.