Why it works: Milk and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,466 recipes. Both carry 2-undecenal, which smells sweet. The science ↓
Salmon Loaf
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the mixture
Shred the salmon and add the bread crumbs and seasoning to taste.
Beat the egg slightly and combine it with the salmon mixture.
Bake
Pack the mixture into a buttered bread pan.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 20 to 30 minutes.
Allow ten slices from the loaf.
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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Milk + breadtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,466 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
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Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Bread + eggtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
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Bread + oniontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,676 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Salmon + eggtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,485 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Salmon
- Forms the main body of the loaf and gives it its flavor and flaky texture.
- Bread
- Crumbs soak up liquid and help hold the loaf together.
- Egg
- Binds the mixture and sets as it bakes, firming the loaf.
- Whole milk
- Adds moisture so the loaf stays tender rather than dry.
The step that matters
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 20 to 30 minutes.. The egg proteins set as the loaf heats, holding it together. Baking too long drives off moisture and leaves the loaf dry and crumbly, so check it near the shorter end of the time.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (salmon, milk, bread, pepper, egg):
- Asparagusfits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Potatofits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against salmon, milk, bread, pepper, egg. 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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