Name: Couscous with Jalapeno Salmon and Dill
Ingredients: 2 cups couscous; 2 cups boiling water; 6 ounce can dry pack smoked salmon; 6 ounces heavy cream; 2 tablespoons fresh dill; 2 jalapenos sliced paper thin; salt and pepper to taste

Why it works: Dill and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,630 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Couscous with Jalapeno Salmon and Dill

Time5 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the couscous

Place couscous and boiling water in a bowl.
Cover and set aside for 5 minutes.
Fluff the couscous and place in serving bowl.

Make the sauce and assemble

With a fork flake the salmon into bite-sized pieces.
In a small saucepan heat the cream.
Add dill, jalapenos, salt, and pepper.
Toss with salmon.
Drizzle cream sauce over top.
Serve immediately.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

449Calories

27 gProtein

19 gFat

40 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Smoked Salmon	100g cooked	208
Couscous	1 cup cooked (157g)	176
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Dill	5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried	4
Jalapeno	1 pepper (14g)	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0

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.

Dill + peppertop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,630 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Salmon + dilltop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together489 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Dill + jalapenotop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together41 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Salmon + creamtop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together1,401 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
Jalapeno + peppertop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,885 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

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

What each ingredient does

Couscous: Absorbs the boiling water and forms the fluffy base of the dish.
Smoked salmon: Provides the main flavor and savory, smoky richness.
Heavy cream: Adds fat and richness, giving the sauce a smooth, silky texture.
Jalapenos: Add heat and a bright, sharp note that cuts through the cream.

Swap the jalapeno

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (salmon, cream, dill, pepper):

Fennelfits better
Parsleyfits better
Tarragonfits better
Jalapenothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against salmon, cream, dill, pepper. 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.

Salmon Salad155 recipes

Salmon Croquettes129 recipes

Canned Salmon14 recipes

Smoked Salmon14 recipes

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Couscous with Jalapeno Salmon and Dill