Why it works: Lobster and whiting work together. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 73 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Salmon Slices a Nesselrode
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Prepare the raised pie paste by mixing flour, lard, egg, and enough lukewarm water to form a stiff dough.
Line a well buttered round pie mold with a thin layer of the paste.
Garnish the inside of the pie with thin slices of bacon.
Assemble and bake
Stuff the salmon with raw lobster forcemeat and whiting forcemeat, then place it upright in the mold.
Cover the pie with another layer of paste, sealing the edges and making a slit on top for steam to escape.
Bake in a hot oven (400°F / 200°C) until almost done.
Check doneness by piercing with a needle; if it comes out clean, the pie is ready.
Turn the pie upside down to drain excess fat, then place it on a dish and remove the mold.
Serve
Break the crust at the dining table and serve with an American sauce made from lobster remains.
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.
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Lobster + whitingtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together73 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Salmon + lobstertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together313 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Salmon + eggtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,485 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Salmon + whitingtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together141 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Flour and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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
- Flour
- Forms the structural framework of the stiff raised pie paste that holds the filling.
- Lard
- Adds fat that tenderises the pastry and contributes to a flaky, short texture.
- Egg
- Binds the pastry dough and adds richness and colour to the crust.
- Raw lobster forcemeat
- Provides a delicate, binding stuffing that sets during baking and flavours the salmon.
- Whiting forcemeat
- Adds a light, cohesive stuffing that sets during baking and holds the salmon's flavour.
- Thin slices of bacon
- Releases fat and savoury flavour into the pie as it bakes.
The step that matters
Checking doneness before removing the pie. The pie is baked until almost done, then tested with a needle. Raw forcemeat and fish can look cooked on the outside, so a clean needle test helps ensure the filling is set through, while avoiding overbaking that dries the salmon.
“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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