Why it works: Celery and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,012 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Fish Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Boil the white fish or trout until tender, then chop it finely.
In a bowl, combine the chopped fish, celery, and cabbage or lettuce.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, similar to chicken salad.
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.
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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Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Cabbage + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,081 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Celery + cabbagetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,840 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Fish + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,948 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Fish + celerytop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together353 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- White fish or trout
- Provides the main protein and flesh that forms the body of the salad.
- Celery
- Adds crunch and a fresh, watery crispness that contrasts with the soft fish.
- Cabbage or lettuce
- Adds crisp texture and freshness, and bulk to the salad.
The step that matters
Boiling the fish until tender. Fish that is overcooked becomes dry and tough and breaks into dry flakes, while underdone fish is unsafe to eat. Cooking it just until it flakes keeps it moist and tender for chopping and mixing.
Swap the cabbage
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (fish, celery, pepper):
- Carrotfits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Tomatofits better
- Cabbagethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against fish, celery, 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.
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