Name: Fried Oysters
Ingredients: large oysters; egg yolks; coarse sea salt; very fine cracker crumbs; cornmeal; milk; baking powder; deep frying fat

Why it works: Oyster and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and 4,103 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓

Fried Oysters

Ingredients

Directions

Select large oysters, then drain and dry them.
Beat the egg yolks and season to taste.
Dip the oysters in the egg, then coat with cracker crumbs or cornmeal.
Place the coated oysters in a frying basket and lower into deep fat.
Alternatively, dip oysters in a light batter made of egg, milk, and baking powder before frying.

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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.

Oyster + eggtop 14% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together4,103 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg + milktop 18% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together88,785 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Oyster + milktop 20% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together2,933 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).