Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Fish Chowder
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Skin the fish and cut it into 2-inch square pieces, removing all bones.
In a 3-quart saucepan, fry the salt pork until crisp but not scorched.
Layer and cook
Layer the fish over the pork.
Add a layer of sliced potatoes.
Add a layer of onions.
Add pepper. Add salt.
Add a layer of split crackers dipped in cold milk.
Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used.
Fill the pot with hot water. Cover the pot.
Boil gently for 1 hour without stirring.
Five minutes before serving, cover the top with more dipped crackers.
Serve
Serve in a tureen with warm milk and butter.
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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Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Pork + potatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,668 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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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).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Fish (in the method)
- Forms the body of the chowder, becoming tender as it gently simmers.
- Salt pork
- Renders fat that flavours the pot and gives a savoury base for the layers.
- Potatoes
- Soften during simmering and thicken the broth while holding the layers together.
- Onions
- Add sweetness and aroma as they cook slowly in the broth.
- Split crackers
- Absorb liquid and swell, thickening the chowder and adding body.
- Milk
- Adds richness and a creamy texture when served warm with the chowder.
The step that matters
Boil gently without stirring. Stirring breaks up the fish and potato layers, and a rolling boil can toughen the fish and turn the broth cloudy. A gentle simmer keeps the layers intact and the fish tender.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, potato, pepper, milk, butter, egg):
- Capsicumfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Chivefits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pork, potato, pepper, milk, butter, egg. 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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