Why it works: Salmon and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,481 recipes. Both carry 2,6-nonadienal, which smells cucumber, green. The science ↓
To Broil Salmon
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the salmon into slices or cutlets, removing the bone if desired.
Dry the salmon thoroughly with a clean cloth.
Rub each piece with salad oil or butter.
Broil
Preheat a clean gridiron over a clear fire, keeping it at a distance.
Wipe the hot bars and rub with lard or suet to prevent sticking.
Place the salmon on the gridiron and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Brown one side, then carefully turn to brown the other side.
Alternatively, cook in a tin or flat dish in the oven with a bit of butter or sweet oil.
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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Salmon + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,481 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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 of the dish, cooking to a firm, flaky texture.
- Salad oil or butter
- Coats the surface to add moisture and promote even browning.
- Lard or suet
- Greases the hot bars so the fish releases cleanly without sticking.
The step that matters
Turning the salmon. Turn the pieces only once the first side has browned and releases easily from the bars. Forcing it early tears the flesh and leaves it stuck to the gridiron, while turning gently keeps the pieces intact and evenly cooked.
“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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