Name: Grilled Salmon Sandwich
Ingredients: 4 salmon fillet, 3 oz; -skinned; 1/2 tsp tarragon, dried, crushed; 1/4 tsp salt; 1/8 tsp pepper, black; 2 tsp olive oil; 2 garlic clove, minced; 1/4 cup chicken broth; 1 tbsp sweet pickle relish; 2 tsp lemon juice; 1 pinch cayenne; 1 1/2 cup boston lettuce leaves; 1/2 cup plum tomatoes, sliced; 4 slice pumpernickel, 1 oz

Why it works: Tarragon and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,137 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

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.

Tarragon + lemontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,137 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,665 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together27,047 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together17,451 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Tarragon + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,399 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

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

What each ingredient does

Salmon fillet: Provides the main protein, which firms and turns opaque as it cooks through.
Olive oil: Carries the garlic in the sauce and conducts heat for even cooking.
Garlic: Adds aroma that mellows and sweetens as it cooks gently in oil.
Chicken broth: Forms the liquid base of the sauce, which reduces to concentrate its flavor.
Lemon juice: Adds acidity that brightens the sauce and balances the richness of the fish.
Pumpernickel: Provides a sturdy base that holds the fish and sauce without soaking through.

The step that matters

Reducing the sauce. Cooking the broth, relish, lemon juice and cayenne until it boils and reduces concentrates the flavors and thickens it slightly. Too little reduction leaves it thin and watery on the sandwich, while overcooking makes it too salty and sharp.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (salmon, tarragon, pepper, olive, garlic, chicken, lemon):

Thymefits better
Parsleyfits better
Basilfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against salmon, tarragon, pepper, olive, garlic, chicken, lemon. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Salmon	100g cooked	208
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Plum	1 medium (66g)	30
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Clove	1 tsp ground (2g)	7
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Cayenne	1 tsp (1.8g)	6
Lettuce	1 cup shredded (36g)	5
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Tarragon	1 tsp dried (0.5g)	2
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Relish	not in our table	0

Grilled Salmon Sandwich