Why it works: Vinegar and horseradish are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and 2,588 recipes mention both. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: fish (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Also mentioned in the method: fish
Directions
Prepare the fish
Rub coarse sea salt along the bone and thick part of the fish.
Tie the fish with broad tape to secure the head and prevent breaking.
Poach and check
Place the fish in a pot and cover it with cold water.
Add a handful of coarse sea salt, vinegar, and horseradish to the water.
Heat the water until it is just boiling and cook for about 1 hour.
Check if the fish is done by lifting it and testing if the meat separates easily from the backbone.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Vinegar + horseradishtop 6% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together2,588 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Codfish
- Forms the main body of the dish, with firm flakes that separate when cooked through.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavour of the poaching liquid and the finished fish.
- Fresh horseradish
- Contributes a sharp, pungent aroma and heat that flavours the poaching water.
The step that matters
Keep the water just boiling. A hard rolling boil can break up delicate fish flesh and make it tough and dry, so gentle simmering heat keeps the fish intact while it cooks through.
“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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