Name: Salmon Salad
Ingredients: 1 can salmon, drained and flaked; 3 stalks celery, chopped; 3 hard boiled egg whites, chopped; mayonnaise dressing to taste

Why it works: Salmon and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,485 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓

Salmon Salad

Ingredients

1 can salmon, drained and flaked
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 hard boiled egg whites, chopped
mayonnaise dressing to taste

Directions

In a bowl, combine the flaked salmon, chopped celery, and chopped egg whites.
Mix well and add mayonnaise dressing to taste.

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.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

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.

Salmon + eggtop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,485 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Salmon + celerytop 26% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together658 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Celery + eggtop 34% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together6,334 recipes

Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).

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

What each ingredient does

Salmon: Provides the main protein and flaky texture of the salad.
Celery: Adds crisp texture and a fresh, mild crunch to the salad.
Egg whites: Add soft, mild body and bulk to the salad.
Mayonnaise dressing: Adds fat and moisture that bind the salad and carry its flavour.