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 ↓
Crimped Salmon
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the salmon into slices 1.5 to 2 inches thick.
Place the slices in a mixture of strong salt and water briefly.
Wash them well.
Lay the salmon on a fish plate.
Cook and serve
Place it in fast boiling salted water and boil for 10 to 15 minutes, skimming off any scum.
Serve hot on a napkin with lobster sauce or melted butter.
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 + fishtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,078 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Salmon + lobstertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together313 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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Lobster + fishtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together326 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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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
- Is the main protein; cooked gently in boiling water so its flesh turns firm and flaky.
- Salt
- Brief soak in strong salt water seasons the fish and firms its surface before cooking.
- Melted butter
- Adds richness and fat to the served fish, balancing its lean flesh.
The step that matters
Boiling the salmon slices. The water must be fast boiling when the fish goes in, so the temperature drops only briefly and the flesh cooks evenly. Skimming removes coagulated proteins that cloud the broth and mar the appearance.
“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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