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 ↓
Fish Mould
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Preheat your steamer.
In a bowl, mix the fish, breadcrumbs, cayenne, black pepper, and salt.
Add the melted butter, eggs, and anchovy essence, and mix well.
Transfer the mixture into a buttered mold.
Steam and serve
Steam gently for about 1½ hours.
Serve with a little sauce poured around and the remainder in a sauceboat.
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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Anchovy + saucetop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,057 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Fish + anchovytop 9% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together637 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Fish + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,488 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Egg + anchovytop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,330 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Butter + anchovytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,697 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
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture so it holds its shape when turned out and sliced.
- Breadcrumbs
- Absorb moisture and give the mould a soft, light body.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture, keeping the fish from drying during steaming.
- Fish
- Forms the main body of the mould and carries its flavour.
The step that matters
Steam gently. Steaming at a gentle heat cooks the egg-bound mixture evenly and slowly. Vigorous boiling can make the eggs curdle and leave the mould rough and watery.
“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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