Why it works: Pepper and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Steamed Salmon
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Chop the salmon finely and rub it with a silver spoon until it forms a smooth paste.
In a bowl, beat the bread crumbs with the eggs and add pepper, salt, and parsley.
Combine the salmon paste with the bread crumb mixture.
Steam
Transfer the mixture into a buttered mold.
Steam for 45 minutes.
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.
-
Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Egg + breadtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
-
Butter + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together28,563 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
-
Bread + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,588 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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 flavor of the loaf once it is cooked through.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and set when steamed, giving the loaf its structure.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb moisture and add bulk, helping the loaf hold its shape.
- Melted butter
- Adds richness and fat, keeping the loaf tender and moist.
The step that matters
Transfer the mixture into a buttered mold.. The mixture must be packed evenly and the mold greased well, so the loaf releases cleanly and cooks uniformly during steaming.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (salmon, egg, butter, bread, pepper):
- Parsleythe original
- Capersfits about as well
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Tarragonfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against salmon, egg, butter, bread, pepper. 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.
More steamed salmon recipes
You might also like
Brown Bread461 recipes
Salmon Salad155 recipes
Salmon Croquettes129 recipes
White Bread80 recipesThe 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.