Salmon + Dill
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 489 recipes, and they share 21 flavor molecules: the top 13% of all ingredient pairs.
Do salmon and dill go together?
Yes. 489 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 21 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 13% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
They overlap on 21 flavor molecules: 45% of salmon's 47. Among the shared key aromas are decanal (soap, orange peel) and 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What each one brings
salmon
The fresh, green side. Green notes make up 34% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 9% for dill. It carries 26 molecules dill doesn't have.
dill
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 14% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 0% for salmon. It carries 321 molecules salmon doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Fennel: the best fit for both, top 16% of pairs with salmon, top 1% with dill.
- Cucumber: top 11% of pairs with salmon, top 1% with dill.
- Capers: top 12% of pairs with salmon, top 2% with dill.
- Lemon: top 19% of pairs with salmon, top 1% with dill.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with salmon and dill
Almost always mains: 59 of the 66 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 26 molecules dill doesn't, and dill has 321 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 21 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 26 only in salmon and the 321 only in dill.
Salmon and dill questions
Do salmon and dill go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 489 recipes, and they share 21 flavor molecules: the top 13% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do salmon and dill taste good together?
They overlap on 21 flavor molecules: 45% of salmon's 47. Among the shared key aromas are decanal (soap, orange peel) and 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What goes with salmon and dill?
Fennel is the best third ingredient: top 16% of pairs with salmon and top 1% with dill. Cucumber and capers also fit both.
What can you make with salmon and dill?
Almost always mains: 59 of the 66 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Couscous with Jalapeno Salmon and Dill, Dilly Salmon Salad Sandwich, Garlic-Dill Salmon, Angel Hair Pasta with Avocado and Salmon.
Can I use dill instead of salmon?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: salmon has 26 molecules dill doesn't, and dill has 321 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 Dill. https://compkitchen.com/compare/salmon-vs-dill. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_salmon_vs_dill_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Salmon vs Dill},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/salmon-vs-dill},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.