Why it works: Pork and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 18,214 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Fish Chowder
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the pike into 4-5 pieces, including the head.
In a large pot, fry the salt pork pieces until light brown.
Add the chopped onions and fry for 5-10 minutes.
Make the chowder
Add the fish and cover with water; boil until the fish easily comes off the bone (about 30 minutes).
Stir in the black pepper and salt to taste.
Mix the flour with the milk and stir into the pot.
Dip the crackers in water and add them to the chowder.
Let the mixture boil briefly, then serve.
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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Pork + oniontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,214 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Pork + milktop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,386 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-heptenal (creamy, biscuit).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Pork + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,121 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Yellow pike
- Provides the main fish body and flakes into the chowder as it cooks.
- Salt pork
- Renders fat that carries flavour and browns the base before liquid is added.
- Onions
- Soften during frying and add sweetness and savoury depth to the broth.
- Flour
- Thickens the milk and broth so the chowder becomes creamy rather than watery.
- Milk
- Adds richness and a mild sweetness that softens the broth's flavour.
- Crackers
- Soak up liquid and help thicken the chowder as they break down.
The step that matters
Adding the flour and milk. Flour mixed into cold milk before stirring in prevents lumps. Once the mixture is added, it should boil briefly so the starch thickens fully and the flour taste cooks out.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, pepper, flour, milk):
- Potatofits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pork, pepper, flour, milk. 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.
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