Why it works: Mustard and celery are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,169 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Scallop Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the scallops
Boil one quart of scallops for five or ten minutes.
Drain the water and, when cold, shred the scallops with a fork.
Make the dressing and serve
In a bowl, combine one half cup of heated vinegar, one egg, one tablespoonful mustard, one teaspoonful salt, two tablespoonfuls milk, and butter the size of a walnut.
Stir the mixture together and serve cold.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Shrimp | 100g cooked | 99 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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.
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Mustard + celerytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,169 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Vinegar + celerytop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,627 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + celerytop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,491 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-decalactone (peach, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Scallops
- Form the main body of the salad as the protein that is shredded.
- Vinegar
- Adds sharp acidity that balances the richness of the dressing.
- Egg
- Adds body and richness to the dressing.
- Mustard
- Adds sharp flavour and helps bind the dressing ingredients together.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and softens the dressing.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds fat for richness and a smooth mouthfeel.
The step that matters
Let the scallops cool before shredding. Shredding the scallops only when they are cold keeps the pieces firm and intact. Warm, freshly cooked seafood is soft and breaks apart easily, which would leave the salad mushy.
Swap the celery
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (scallop, vinegar, mustard, milk, egg):
- Tarragonfits better
- Capersfits better
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Celerythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against scallop, vinegar, mustard, milk, egg. 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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