Why it works: Peanut and broccoli match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and 166 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, which smells clove, smoky. The science ↓
The recipe
serves 4Ingredients
Contains: egg, peanut, soy, fish (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Prepare
Puree the peanut sauce ingredients in a blender until smooth.
Heat the oven to 300°F.
Line a jelly-roll pan with aluminum foil.
Place the fish skin side down on the pan.
Bake and serve
Bake 17 to 18 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork and the center is still slightly rosy.
Toss the mesclun and broccoli with 1/4 cup peanut sauce.
Divide the salad on four plates and top each salad with a piece of fish.
Drizzle the remaining sauce over all.
This recipe comes from the Recipes Wiki on Fandom and is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Our formatting and summaries are shared under the same licence.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Peanut + broccolitop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together166 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
-
Sauce + sugar substitutetop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together6 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Garlic + broccolitop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,072 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Chicken + garlictop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together10,839 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
-
Peanut + garlictop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together877 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Peanut butter
- Provides the body and nutty flavor of the sauce.
- Mayonnaise
- Adds fat and creaminess, giving the sauce a smooth, rich texture.
- Soy sauce
- Adds savory saltiness that balances the sweetness and richness of the sauce.
- Salmon fillets
- The main protein, cooked gently so it stays moist and tender.
- Broccoli florets
- Provide the crisp-tender vegetable body of the salad.
The step that matters
Bake the salmon until just rosy in the center. Salmon is easy to overcook, and proteins toughen and dry out as they heat past the point of flaking. Pulling it while the center is still slightly rosy keeps the flesh moist and tender.
Flavor stand-ins for the garlic
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (peanut, butter, chicken, sauce, sherry, ginger, sugar substitute):
- Cinnamonabout as good a flavor fit
- Garlicthe original
- Corianderabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against peanut, butter, chicken, sauce, sherry, ginger, sugar substitute. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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.
You might also like
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
IllustrationThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.