Why it works: Fish and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 22% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,782 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Cleaning and Dressing Fish
Ingredients
Directions
If the fish is not cleaned, clean it thoroughly.
Soak the cleaned fish in a strong saltwater solution to remove any muddy smell.
For larger fish, scald it in the saltwater, then dry and prepare.
Place the fish in cold water and heat gently to avoid breaking the outer layer.
For crimp fish, place it in boiling water, then add a little cold water to reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes.
Check if the fish is ready by seeing if it leaves the bone; then remove it from the water immediately to prevent it from becoming woolly.
Keep the fish warm by placing the serving plate crossways over the kettle and cover with a clean cloth.
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 + eggtop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,782 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Fish + vinegartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,036 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
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Vinegar + eggtop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,922 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Vinegar and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,922 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
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