Name: Fish Creams {Creme De Poisson D LA Bergen}
Ingredients: 1 good sized haddock (about 9 or 10 oz.); 6 oz. panada; 1 tablespoon béchamel; 1 oz. fresh butter; 3 whole eggs; a little coralline pepper; a very little salt; 3 tablespoons thick cream; boiling fish stock or water; strips of red chili for garnish; capers for garnish; liquid aspic for garnish; croutons; anchovy butter; thinly sliced cucumber; French salad dressing

Why it works: Haddock and cream work together. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 181 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

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.

Haddock + creamtop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together181 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Haddock + anchovytop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together75 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Capers + anchovytop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together473 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyraldehyde (malty, chocolate).
Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together41,516 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Fish + anchovytop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together637 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Haddock: Provides the main fish flesh that sets into the soufflé's body and flavour.
Eggs: Bind the fish cream and set during poaching to give it a light, firm structure.
Panada: Adds body and helps the mixture hold together with a tender texture.
Thick cream: Adds moisture and richness, keeping the fish cream soft and smooth.
Fresh butter: Adds fat for a richer flavour and a smoother, more tender texture.

The step that matters

Poach without boiling. Once the pan boils, the rising egg-and-fish mixture can become porous and rubbery. Keeping the water just below a boil lets the creams set gently and stay tender.

Swap the capers

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (haddock, butter, egg, pepper, cream, fish, anchovy):

Capersthe original
Parsleyfits about as well
Nutmegfits less well
Tarragonfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against haddock, butter, egg, pepper, cream, fish, anchovy. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“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.

Fish Creams {Creme De Poisson D LA Bergen}