Why it works: Lemon and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Herring Roes, Baked
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Brush the inside of the souffle cases with butter.
Fill and bake
In a bowl, mix the roes with brown sauce, lemon juice, anchovy essence, mushrooms, shallot, and parsley.
Spoon the mixture into the souffle cases.
Top with breadcrumbs and dot with butter.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
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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Lemon + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Shallot + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,737 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Sauce + anchovytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,057 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Mushroom + shallottop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,982 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Lemon + shallottop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,523 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Herring roes
- Provide the main body and rich, savoury flavour of the filling.
- Brown sauce
- Adds moisture and savoury depth to bind the roe mixture.
- Butter
- Adds fat that helps the top brown and keeps the cases from sticking.
- Mushrooms
- Contribute earthy flavour and moisture to the filling.
- Breadcrumbs
- Form a crisp, golden topping through browning in the oven.
The step that matters
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Roe is delicate and overbaking dries and toughens its proteins, while underbaking leaves the filling loose. Watching for a golden top signals the filling is set and the crumbs have browned.
“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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