Why it works: Beef and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,092 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Curried Haddock
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Fillet the haddock and set aside.
In a pot, combine beef stock and water, then add curry powder.
If using, chop the onion and add it to the pot.
Bring the mixture to a simmer.
Cook
If preferred, fry the haddock in lard or oil for a few minutes before adding to the pot.
Add the haddock to the curry mixture and cook for 1 hour until ready.
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.
-
Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Haddock + oniontop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together483 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Haddock + beeftop 28% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together34 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Haddock fillets
- Forms the main protein that flakes into the curry as it cooks.
- Beef stock
- Provides the liquid base and savory depth for the curry sauce.
- Curry powder
- Supplies the spice blend that gives the dish its flavor and aroma.
Swap the onion
The recipe marks onion as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (haddock, beef):
- Potatofits better
- Onionthe original
- Tomatofits about as well
- Chivefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against haddock, beef. 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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