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 ↓
Gravy for Fish
Ingredients
Directions
If using baked fish, remove the fish from the tin and make the gravy in the same tin.
Add the roux, vinegar, ketchup, salt, and pepper to the juices from the fish.
Heat the mixture over the fire and strain it into a dish.
If using boiled fish, use the same ingredients with the liquid from boiling the fish.
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 + ketchuptop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together737 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Ketchup + peppertop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,207 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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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
What each ingredient does
- Roux
- Thickens the liquid into a smooth gravy as it heats.
- Fish stock or water
- Forms the liquid base that the roux thickens.
- Vinegar
- Adds sharpness that balances the richness of the fish juices.
- Ketchup
- Adds sweetness and tang to the gravy.
The step that matters
Heating the roux into the liquid. Roux thickens only when heated, so the mixture must be heated enough for the starch to swell. Too little heat leaves the gravy thin, while overheating or stirring poorly can cause lumps.
“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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