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 ↓
Kippered Salmon
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the packets
Wash the salmon slices thoroughly in cold water and dry them.
Butter a sheet of thick writing paper well on both sides.
Place a slice of salmon on one side of the paper.
Add a small pat of butter, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice on top of the salmon.
Fold the other half of the paper over the fish and secure it tightly.
Repeat with the second slice of salmon.
Cook and serve
Place both packets on a hot, well-greased grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, turning constantly until heated through.
Serve the salmon in the paper on a hot dish and garnish with parsley.
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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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 + lemontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,918 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Salmon
- Forms the main body of the dish and cooks gently inside the paper.
- Butter
- Adds moisture and richness, keeping the fish tender as it heats in the packet.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavour of the fish.
The step that matters
Turning the packets constantly on the grill. Constant turning spreads heat evenly so the paper does not scorch in one spot before the fish is heated through. Greasing the grill keeps the packets from sticking and tearing.
“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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