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Potted Shrimps

Shrimps simmered in butter and pepper, then cooled and served.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Shrimp and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,931 recipes. Both carry 2,6-nonadienal, which smells cucumber, green. The science ↓

Potted Shrimps

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the shrimp

  1. Simmer the salt water shrimps in cold water for 10 to 15 minutes.

  2. Strain and shell the shrimps thoroughly.

Make the potted mixture

  1. Place the shrimps in an enamel bowl and cover with enough butter.

  2. Add a good dash of black pepper and heat gently.

Pot and set

  1. Pour the mixture into small pots and let it cool.

  2. Spread a little cold butter on top to exclude air.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Shrimp + buttertop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,931 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).

  2. Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together85,593 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  3. Shrimp + peppertop 24% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,692 recipes

    Shared aroma: phenylethanol (rose, floral).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Salt water shrimps
Provide the main flavour and texture, and simmering firms their flesh.
Butter
Coats the shrimp in rich fat, and the cold top layer seals out air.

The step that matters

Spread a little cold butter on top to exclude air. Air exposure causes fat to oxidise and invites spoilage. A solid, unbroken layer of butter over the surface limits contact with air, which helps the potted shrimp keep longer.

“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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