Salmon + Lime
A cook's pairing more than a chemical one: 569 recipes use both, though they share little aroma. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs.
Do salmon and lime go together?
Yes, in practice. 569 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 19 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 26% of every ingredient pair we score.
What they have in common
They overlap on 19 flavor molecules: 40% of salmon's 47. Among the shared key aromas are decanal (soap, orange peel) and nonanal (fat, citrus). So the pairing rests more on how cooks use them than on shared aroma.
What each one brings
salmon
The fresh, green side. Green notes make up 34% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 9% for lime. It carries 28 molecules lime doesn't have.
lime
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 15% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 0% for salmon. It carries 280 molecules salmon doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Avocado: the best fit for both, top 13% of pairs with salmon, top 1% with lime.
- Coriander: top 20% of pairs with salmon, top 1% with lime.
- Lemon grass: top 27% of pairs with salmon, top 1% with lime.
- Dill: top 13% of pairs with salmon, top 2% with lime.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with salmon and lime
Almost always mains: 86 of the 100 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: salmon has 28 molecules lime doesn't, and lime has 280 that salmon doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 19 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 28 only in salmon and the 280 only in lime.
Salmon and lime questions
Do salmon and lime go together?
A cook's pairing more than a chemical one: 569 recipes use both, though they share little aroma. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs.
What do salmon and lime have in common?
They overlap on 19 flavor molecules: 40% of salmon's 47. Among the shared key aromas are decanal (soap, orange peel) and nonanal (fat, citrus). So the pairing rests more on how cooks use them than on shared aroma.
What goes with salmon and lime?
Avocado is the best third ingredient: top 13% of pairs with salmon and top 1% with lime. Coriander and lemon grass also fit both.
What can you make with salmon and lime?
Almost always mains: 86 of the 100 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Apricot Lime-Glazed Salmon, Fresh Salmon and Lime Cakes, Salmon Tartar with Coriander, Caviar and Lime Sauce, Tequila Lime-grilled Salmon.
Can I use lime instead of salmon?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: salmon has 28 molecules lime doesn't, and lime has 280 that salmon doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
Compare other ingredients
Ranks compare this pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. Molecule counts are what the studies and databases we aggregate have reported for each ingredient: a measure of coverage, not a full census. How we score pairs
Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). Compound similarity analysis: Salmon vs Lime. https://compkitchen.com/compare/salmon-vs-lime. Accessed 2026-11-07.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_salmon_vs_lime_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Salmon vs Lime},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/salmon-vs-lime},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-07}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.