Name: Tuna or Salmon Fish Cake
Ingredients: 1 can of tuna or salmon; 2 eggs; ½ or more of Italian Bread crumbs (you can also use the original); dash of cilantro; fish and seafood spice (Watkins); Garlic and black pepper seasoning (Watkins); a dash of basil; a dash of dill; 1 onion diced; 1 glove of garlic crushed (or a dash of garlic salt or garlic oil; (Watkins)); Italian salad seasoning (Watkins); Olive oil ( Just enough to fry cakes in, but not floating in oil)

Why it works: Basil and dill match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 154 recipes. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. 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.

Basil + dilltop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together154 recipes

Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
Garlic + basiltop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,805 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Pepper + basiltop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,294 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
Pepper + dilltop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,630 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Garlic + peppertop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together27,090 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

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

What each ingredient does

Tuna or salmon: Provides the main body and flavor of the cake.
Eggs: Bind the mixture so the patties hold their shape while frying.
Bread crumbs: Absorb moisture and give the patties a firmer, less wet texture.
Onion: Adds moisture and savory sweetness that deepens as it cooks.
Garlic: Adds pungent aroma that mellows and browns slightly during frying.

The step that matters

Forming and frying the patties. The mixture is soft and wet, so patties can fall apart. Frying in hot oil sets the egg and crumb structure quickly and browns the surface; oil that is too cool lets patties absorb fat and crumble.

Swap the garlic

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (salmon, egg, bread, fish, pepper, basil, dill):

Parsleyfits better
Fennelfits better
Tarragonfits better
Garlicthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against salmon, egg, bread, fish, pepper, basil, dill. 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
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Salmon	100g cooked	208
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Dill	5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried	4
Cilantro	1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)	1
Basil	5 leaves fresh (2.5g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Salad	not in our table	0
Cake	not in our table	0

Tuna or Salmon Fish Cake