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Bacalau on Crisp Salad

A crisp salad featuring salted cod flakes, langoustine tails, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and a vinaigrette.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Tomato and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,539 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Bacalau on Crisp Salad

Time4–6 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the salt cod

  1. Put a generous amount of water in a pot.

  2. When the water boils, add the salted cod pieces and boil for 4–6 minutes, depending on thickness and size.

  3. Remove the cod and chill immediately in ice‑cold water until it flakes.

Cook the langoustine

  1. Fry the langoustine tails in olive oil in a frying pan, sprinkling with salt and pepper.

  2. Chill the langoustine tails.

Assemble and serve

  1. Place two tablespoons of garlic sauce in the center of a plate and top with finely sliced iceberg lettuce.

  2. Arrange the salted cod flakes around the salad.

  3. Arrange a few langoustine tails around the cod and place tomato strips between them.

  4. In a small bowl, combine the mixed herbs, olive oil, and maple syrup, then finely grind and mix.

  5. Season the herb mixture with salt and pepper to taste.

  6. Spoon the vinaigrette over the langoustine tails, tomatoes, and slightly into the iceberg.

  7. Serve as a starter on a plate or as part of a buffet on a larger plate.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

421Calories
22 gProtein
27 gFat
22 gCarbs

Counts 12 of 13 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 12 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Salmon100g cooked208
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Maple Syrup1 tbsp (20ml)52
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Dill5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Chive1 tbsp (3g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Saucenot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

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.

  1. Tomato + olivetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,539 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  2. Tomato + basiltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,979 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  3. Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  4. Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  5. Olive + basiltop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,063 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Salt cod
Provides the main flaky protein and savoury body of the salad.
Langoustine tails
Add sweet, delicate seafood flavour and tender texture when briefly fried.
Iceberg lettuce
Adds crisp, cool, watery crunch that contrasts with the cod and langoustine.
Tomatoes
Contribute juiciness and light acidity that brighten the seafood.
Maple syrup
Adds a touch of sweetness to balance the acidity of the vinaigrette.

The step that matters

Chilling the cod in ice-cold water. Boiling firms and then shocks the cod so it separates into clean flakes instead of turning mushy. Cooking too long or skipping the chill leaves the fish dense and watery, so timing by thickness matters.

Swap the white pepper

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (fish, tomato, olive, garlic, sauce, vinegar, basil):

  1. Tarragonfits better
  2. Capersfits better
  3. Thymefits better
  4. White pepperthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against fish, tomato, olive, garlic, sauce, vinegar, basil. 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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