Why it works: Lemon and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Steamed Salmon
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the mixture
Remove the salmon from the can and flake it into very fine pieces using a fork.
Season the salmon with salt and cayenne, then fold it into the whipped cream.
Mix well and pour the mixture into a large mold or individual molds.
Steam and serve
Steam the molds until the mixture is firm.
Serve garnished with potato balls, lemon slices, and parsley.
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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Lemon + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Pepper + potatotop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Salmon
- Provides the main body and flavour, set into a soft, sliceable mass when steamed.
- Whipped cream
- Adds richness and a light, airy texture that keeps the mixture tender after steaming.
The step that matters
Steam the molds until the mixture is firm. Steam heats the mixture gently and evenly. The cream and fish proteins set as they warm, so underheating leaves it loose and overheating can make it rubbery or weep liquid.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (salmon, cream, pepper, lemon, parsley):
- Spinachfits better
- Carrotfits about as well
- Chivefits about as well
- Potatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against salmon, cream, pepper, lemon, parsley. 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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