Why it works: Salmon and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 27% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,675 recipes. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓
Aberdeen Method of Pickling Salmon
Ingredients
Directions
Boil the salmon in water mixed with a good quantity of salt.
Drain the salmon and let it cool in the open air.
In a cask or pot, combine the salmon with vinegar and half the water used for boiling.
Skim off any scum that rises while boiling the salmon.
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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Salmon + vinegartop 27% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,675 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Salmon
- The main protein; boiling firms its flesh so it holds together in the pickle.
- Vinegar
- Acid that preserves the fish and gives it a sharp, tangy flavour.
The step that matters
Boiling the salmon. Overcooked salmon turns dry and flaky, and the flesh then breaks down further in the vinegar. Simmer gently and stop once the fish is just cooked through.
“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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