Why it works: Lemon and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,047 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Salmon Croquettes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
In a bowl, mix the flaked salmon, crushed soda crackers, lemon juice, beaten eggs, butter, salt, and pepper until well combined.
Form the mixture into balls.
Coat and fry
Roll each ball in cracker crumbs and then in the egg white.
Heat lard in a pan and fry the croquettes until golden brown.
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.
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Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Salmon + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,481 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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Lemon + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,227 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Salmon + eggtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,485 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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 of the croquettes.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture together so the croquettes hold their shape.
- Soda crackers
- Absorb moisture and add bulk so the mixture can be shaped.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture to the mixture.
- Egg white
- Helps the cracker crumb coating stick and crisp when fried.
The step that matters
Rolling the balls in crumbs and egg white. The egg white and crumb coating form a barrier that holds the croquettes together and gives a crisp, golden surface. If the coating is thin or uneven, the croquettes may break apart or absorb too much fat during frying.
“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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