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
Ingredients
Directions
If not cleaned by the fishmonger, wash the fish thoroughly.
For boiling, add salt and a small amount of vinegar to the water for firmness.
Salt the fish and keep it for one day for better flavor.
Soak fresh water fish in strong salt and water to remove muddy smell.
Place the fish in cold water and heat gently to avoid breaking.
Boil shellfish in boiling water to prevent them from becoming rubbery.
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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