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 ↓
Salmon Timbales
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure. The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare the salmon
Drain the liquid from the salmon and remove all skin and bones.
Mash the salmon with a fork and mix with the beaten eggs.
Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and parsley.
Bake
Place the mixture in greased individual molds.
Put the molds in a baking pan and add water until they are two-thirds covered.
Cover with greased paper and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes.
Serve
Serve with cream sauce mixed with the egg yolk just before serving.
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.
-
Lemon + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Cream + saucetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,787 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Salmon + creamtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,401 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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 timbales.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and set when baked, giving the timbales their structure.
- Cream sauce
- Adds richness and moisture to the served timbales.
- Egg yolk
- Enriches the cream sauce, adding richness and body.
The step that matters
Baking in a water bath. Baking the molds in a pan of water gently surrounds them with heat. This slows setting so the egg mixture stays tender and does not turn rubbery or cracked.
“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.
You might also like
The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.
Lemon Sauce236 recipes
Salmon Salad155 recipes
Salmon Croquettes129 recipes
Canned Salmon14 recipes