Name: Salmon Salad
Ingredients: 1 can of salmon, skin and bone removed; 6 fresh crackers, rolled fine; hearts of 2 heads of celery, chopped fine; juice of 3 lemons; Mayonnaise dressing

Why it works: Celery and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,467 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Salmon Salad

Ingredients

1 can of salmon, skin and bone removed
6 fresh crackers, rolled fine
hearts of 2 heads of celery, chopped fine
juice of 3 lemons
Mayonnaise dressing

Directions

Mash the salmon with a fork until very smooth.
Add the rolled crackers and chopped celery hearts to the salmon.
Mix in the lemon juice and Mayonnaise dressing until well combined.

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 + lemontop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,467 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Salmon + lemontop 19% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together2,918 recipes

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

Smell alikelow

Cooked together658 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

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

What each ingredient does

Salmon: Forms the main body and flakes of the salad.
Crackers: Absorb moisture and add body, helping the salad hold together.
Celery: Adds crisp texture that contrasts with the soft salmon.
Lemon juice: Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and cuts the richness of the dressing.
Mayonnaise dressing: Adds fat and moisture, binding the mixture and giving it a creamy texture.