Why it works: Parsley and pepper 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 ↓
Deviled Oysters
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the filling
Drain the oysters and chop them finely, then drain again.
Bring the cream to a boil in a saucepan.
In a separate bowl, rub the butter and flour together, then stir into the boiling cream.
Once thickened, remove from heat and add the chopped oysters, parsley, and beaten egg yolks.
Bake and serve
Wash the oyster shells clean and fill them with the mixture.
Sprinkle bread crumbs on top and place the shells in a dripping pan.
Brown in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 5 minutes.
Serve in the shells or in baking dishes.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + parsleytop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together16,675 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they 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
- Oysters
- Provide the main savoury flavour and the bulk of the filling.
- Cream
- Forms the rich, moist base that the filling is thickened in.
- Butter and flour
- Together form a roux that thickens the cream into a smooth sauce.
- Egg yolks
- Enrich and bind the filling, helping it set gently when heated.
- Bread crumbs
- Form a crisp, golden topping through browning in the oven.
The step that matters
Adding the egg yolks off the heat. Egg yolks can scramble and curdle if they meet very hot liquid. Removing the cream from the heat before adding them lets the yolks thicken the filling smoothly.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (oyster, cream, butter, flour, egg, pepper, bread):
- Nutmegfits better
- Parsleythe original
- Capersfits about as well
- Tarragonfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against oyster, cream, butter, flour, egg, pepper, 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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