Why it works: Pepper and allspice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,395 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
To Boil Fresh Salmon
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare and poach
Scale and clean the salmon, handling it minimally and cutting it open only as necessary.
Place the salmon in a large fish kettle and fill it with cold water.
Add a handful of coarse sea salt and bring to a slow boil.
Cook for 15 minutes per pound, checking for doneness with a fork.
Skim the surface to maintain color.
Once cooked, lift the salmon to drain and cover with a napkin to absorb moisture.
Serve
Serve on a hot dish garnished with scraped horseradish and curled parsley.
Prepare a small tureen of lobster sauce to accompany the salmon.
Store leftovers
For leftovers, place the salmon in a deep dish with a close cover.
In the reserved boiling water, add whole pepper, whole allspice, vinegar, and salt, then boil.
Once cooled, pour the mixture over the salmon and cover tightly.
Store in a cold place for up to two days for breakfast or supper.
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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Pepper + allspicetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,395 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Allspice + vinegartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,548 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).
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Pepper + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Salmon + vinegartop 27% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,675 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Salmon + peppertop 27% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,446 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Fresh salmon
- Forms the main body of the dish, cooked gently in simmering water until flaky.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity to the pickling liquid, brightening flavour and helping preserve the leftover fish.
- Whole allspice
- Contributes warm aromatic flavour to the pickling liquid that penetrates the fish.
- Whole pepper
- Adds pungent aromatic flavour to the pickling liquid for the leftover salmon.
The step that matters
Skim the surface while the salmon cooks. Keeping the water at a slow boil and skimming foam helps the flesh stay clean in colour and texture. A hard boil breaks the fish apart and clouds the surface.
Swap the allspice
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (salmon, pepper, vinegar):
- Dillfits better
- Tarragonfits better
- Parsleyfits better
- Allspicethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against salmon, pepper, vinegar. 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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