Why it works: Salmon and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,485 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓
Salmon Croquettes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Drain the salmon and remove any bones.
In a bowl, combine the salmon, egg, lemon juice, and crushed crackers.
Form the mixture into small cakes.
Cook
Fry the cakes in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + eggtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,485 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Salmon + lemontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,918 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Egg + lemontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
Egg and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 44,316 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
- Salmon
- Forms the bulk of the cakes and supplies the main flavor and protein.
- Egg
- Binds the mixture so the cakes hold their shape while frying.
- Crackers
- Absorb moisture and add crumbs that help the cakes hold together.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor of the salmon.
The step that matters
Forming and frying the cakes. If the mixture is too wet or the skillet is too hot, the cakes can fall apart or brown before the center is set. Gentle, moderate heat lets the outside turn golden while the binder sets inside.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (salmon, egg):
- Lemonthe original
- Avocadofits about as well
- Pumpkinfits less well
- Coconutfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against salmon, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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