Name: Salmon Salad
Ingredients: 1 can of salmon; ¼ head of cabbage, finely chopped; 2 bunches of celery, finely chopped; 1 teaspoon mustard; ⅔ cup vinegar; 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; Pepper to taste; Coarse sea salt to taste

Why it works: Celery and mustard 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 ↓

Salmon Salad

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Finely chop the cabbage and celery.

Make the salad

In a bowl, mix the chopped cabbage, celery, and salmon.
Add the mustard, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce.
Season with pepper and coarse sea salt 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.

Celery + mustardtop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,169 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Cabbage + mustardtop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,645 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together16,012 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Cabbage + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,081 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Cabbage + celerytop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,840 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

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 flaked texture of the salad.
Cabbage: Adds crisp texture and bulk to the salad.
Celery: Adds crunch and a fresh, mild vegetal flavour.
Vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the salad and balances the fish.
Mustard: Adds sharpness and a pungent flavour that complements the fish.

Swap the cabbage

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (salmon, celery, mustard, vinegar, sauce, pepper):

Horseradishfits better
Lettucefits better
Cucumberfits better
Cabbagethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against salmon, celery, mustard, vinegar, sauce, 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.