Why it works: Lobster and sauce are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,095 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Salmon Boiled
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Shape the salmon into an S by threading packthread through the tail, center of the body, and head.
Poach
Place the salmon in a kettle of cold spring water with plenty of coarse sea salt and cover with a sheet of paper.
Once it begins to boil, remove from heat and let it simmer gently until cooked.
Carefully remove the packthread without breaking the salmon.
Serve
Serve on a fish plate with lobster sauce in a separate dish.
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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Lobster + saucetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,095 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Salmon + lobstertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together313 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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Salmon + saucetop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,765 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Salmon
- Forms the main protein that becomes flaky and tender when gently simmered.
- Lobster sauce
- Adds rich, savory flavor that complements the mild salmon when served alongside.
The step that matters
Let the water only simmer once the salmon is in. Once the water reaches a boil, it should be removed from heat and simmered gently. Vigorous boiling toughens the protein and can break the fish apart, so gentle heat keeps the salmon moist and intact.
“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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