Why it works: Oyster and sauce are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,233 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Boiled Cod and Oyster Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Add the whole cod and cook until the fish is opaque and flakes easily, about 10-15 minutes.
Remove the cod from the pot and drain.
Serve with oyster sauce drizzled over the top.
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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Oyster + saucetop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,233 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cod
- Forms the main body of the dish; cooking firms its flesh and turns it opaque and flaky.
- Oyster sauce
- Adds savoury, salty flavour on top of the mild fish.
The step that matters
Cooking the cod until just opaque. Fish proteins set and toughen as they overcook, so pulling it once it turns opaque and flakes keeps the flesh moist and tender.
“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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