Why it works: Allspice and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,874 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Pickled Salmon
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Place the salmon in a deep pudding dish.
Boil the fish bones in water with peppercorns, allspice, crushed cloves, and salt for 30 minutes.
Add cider vinegar and bring to a boil again.
Pickle and cool
Strain the liquid over the salmon and let it cool completely.
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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Allspice + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,874 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Cider + vinegartop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,431 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
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Allspice + vinegartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,548 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).
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Allspice + cidertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together873 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).
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Clove + cidertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,683 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Salmon
- Is the main protein that is covered and flavored by the pickling liquid.
- Cider vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens the flavor and helps preserve the pickling liquid.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the pickling liquid and draws flavor into the fish.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (salmon, allspice, cider, vinegar):
- Clovethe original
- Dillfits about as well
- Thymefits about as well
- Tarragonfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against salmon, allspice, cider, vinegar. 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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