Creamed Salmon

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.

1. Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together27,047 recipes

   Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

2. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together81,283 recipes

   Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

3. Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together41,516 recipes

   Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

4. Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together124,287 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

5. Flour + milktop 14% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together78,219 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Flour

Thickens the butter and cream mixture into a smooth, creamy sauce.

Butter

Carries the flour and adds richness and a smooth mouthfeel to the sauce.

Cream and milk

Form the liquid base of the sauce, adding body and richness.

Salmon

Provides the main protein and flavor, folded into the warm sauce.

The step that matters

Swap the white pepper

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, butter, cream, milk, pepper, lemon, salmon):

1. Nutmegfits better
2. Parsleyfits better
3. Cardamomfits better
4. White pepperthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, butter, cream, milk, pepper, lemon, salmon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.