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Sole, Baked with Shrimps

A baked sole fillet stuffed with shrimp, breadcrumbs, anchovy essence, and spices, topped with breadcrumbs.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Anchovy and sauce are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,057 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

Sole, Baked with Shrimps

Oven, in the book's wordsA moderate oven

Ingredients

Directions

The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

Prepare the fish

  1. Remove the skin from the sole and make an incision down the center as for filleting.

  2. Gently lift the flesh on each side.

Make and fill

  1. Chop the shrimps coarsely and mix with the breadcrumbs, cayenne, salt (if needed), anchovy essence, egg, and enough white sauce or milk to moisten.

  2. Press the mixture lightly inside the fish, filling the gap without closing the sides.

  3. Flatten the surface to be level with the fish.

Top and bake

  1. Brush with the remaining egg.

  2. Cover lightly with brown breadcrumbs.

  3. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350°F (175°C).

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Anchovy + saucetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,057 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  2. Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together27,232 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

  3. Shrimp + anchovytop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together440 recipes

    Shared aroma: hexanol (green, fruity).

  4. Bread + anchovytop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,260 recipes

    Shared aroma: hexanol (green, fruity).

  5. Shrimp + buttertop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,931 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

Sole
Forms the main body of the dish, holding the stuffing while it cooks.
Shrimps
Provide the main savoury filling and a delicate seafood flavour.
Egg
Binds the stuffing together and helps the brushed topping set and brown.
White bread crumbs
Absorb moisture and help give the stuffing a light, soft body.
Anchovy essence
Adds a salty, savoury depth to the filling.

The step that matters

Filling the fish without closing the sides. Overpacking or closing the sides traps the stuffing and slows heat reaching its centre, so the filling can stay underdone while the fish overcooks. A lightly pressed, level filling cooks more evenly.

“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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