Why it works: Pepper and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Fish Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Heat plenty of clarified fat in a low saucepan.
Remove skin and bones from the fish, then shred it finely with two forks.
In a bowl, combine the potatoes, salt, pepper, and milk (or melted butter) with one egg to bind, mixing thoroughly without making it too moist.
Gently stir in the fish, divide the mixture into small portions, and shape into cakes about 1 inch thick on a floured board.
Place bread crumbs on a clean paper.
Coat and fry
Beat the other egg and brush the cakes with it, then dip them in the crumbs.
Test the fat; if hot enough, fry the cakes for about 5 minutes until golden.
Drain the cakes on kitchen paper and cover to absorb excess fat.
Serve on a hot dish.
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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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Potato + milktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,611 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
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Fish + breadtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,668 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cooked fish
- Provides the main body and flavour of the cakes.
- Mashed potatoes
- Adds bulk and a soft, tender texture that holds the cakes together.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and create a coating that helps the crumbs stick and brown.
- Milk or butter
- Adds moisture and richness so the mixture stays soft inside.
- Bread crumbs
- Form a crisp, golden outer crust when fried.
The step that matters
Test the fat before frying. If the fat is not hot enough, the cakes soak up grease and turn heavy; if it is too hot, the outside browns before the centre heats through. Hot, steady fat seals the crumb coating quickly.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (fish, potato, milk, egg, pepper, mutton, bread):
- Parsleythe original
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Marjoramfits less well
- Thymefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against fish, potato, milk, egg, pepper, mutton, bread. 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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