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Salmon Loaf

A loaf made from flaked salmon mixed with flour, spices, egg, milk, gelatin, and vinegar.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Colville, Jessie Henderson. [from old catalog] · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Mustard and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,067 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓

Salmon Loaf

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Remove bones and skin from the salmon, then flake the flesh.

Make the custard

  1. In a double boiler, combine the salt, flour, mustard, cayenne, milk, and egg; add the vinegar last and stir until thick.

  2. Dissolve the gelatin in a small amount of cold water.

  3. Add one spoonful of boiling water to the mixture.

Set and serve

  1. Pour the mixture over the flaked salmon, add the dissolved gelatin, and pack into a mold to set.

  2. Allow to harden, then serve with mayonnaise dressing.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

545Calories
20 gProtein
7 gFat
97 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Cayenne1 tsp (1.8g)6
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot 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.

By Colville, Jessie Henderson. [from old catalog]. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.

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. Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,067 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  2. Flour + mustardtop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,066 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  3. Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together106,462 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  4. Flour + vinegartop 27% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together8,652 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  5. Mustard + eggtop 28% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,210 recipes

    Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).

Flour and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

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

What each ingredient does

Salmon (in the method)
Forms the bulk of the loaf and gives it its flavor and flaky texture.
Egg
Binds the mixture and helps it set firm when cooked.
Flour
Thickens the custard so it holds the salmon together.
Gelatine
Sets the loaf so it holds its shape when chilled and sliced.
Vinegar
Adds acidity that sharpens the flavor of the salmon and custard.

The step that matters

Stirring the custard until thick. Flour thickens only as its starch swells in heated liquid, so the custard must be stirred steadily in a double boiler; if it is rushed or overheated, it can lump or scorch, and the loaf will not bind properly.

Swap the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, egg, vinegar):

  1. Shallotfits better
  2. Cucumberfits about as well
  3. Chivefits about as well
  4. Mustardthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, egg, vinegar. 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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