Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and 9,023 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Morue a LA Bonne Femme
enough for 6 personsIngredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash and peel the potatoes and onions.
Cut the salt cod into pieces measuring 2x3 inches.
Layer and simmer
Layer the potatoes at the bottom of a stewpan.
Layer the onions on top of the potatoes.
Layer the salt cod on top of the onions.
Add enough cold water to cover the ingredients.
Simmer until the fish is cooked.
Remove the fish.
Let the onions finish cooking.
Make the sauce
Trim the pieces of salt fish and remove all bones.
In another stewpan, dissolve the butter and flour with a little milk.
Simmer for 10 minutes.
Combine and serve
Add the potatoes, onions, and fish in order.
Simmer for another 10 minutes before serving.
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.
-
Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Potato + milktop 9% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together3,611 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Butter and flour share little aroma chemistry, yet 124,287 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Bulk and starch that give the dish its body and soft texture as they cook.
- Onions
- Sweetness and aroma that deepen as they cook slowly in the water.
- Salt cod
- Main savoury flavour and firm, flaky protein that sets as it cooks.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, rounded mouthfeel to the sauce.
- Flour
- Starch that thickens the butter and milk into a sauce.
- Milk
- Liquid that loosens the flour and butter into a creamy sauce.
The step that matters
Dissolve the butter and flour with the milk. Flour must be fully dispersed in liquid before it heats, or it clumps. Smoothly dispersed starch thickens evenly, so the sauce stays silky rather than lumpy.
Flavor stand-ins for the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, butter, flour, milk):
- Chivebetter flavor fit
- Leekbetter flavor fit
- Asparagusbetter flavor fit
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, butter, flour, milk. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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.
You might also like
Potato Croquettes255 recipes
Potato Rolls78 recipes
Potato Chips53 recipes
Sweet Potato Croquettes53 recipesThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.