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 bowl of strong saltwater for a moment, then wash them well.
Cook and serve
Bring a pot of salted water to a fast boil and add the salmon slices.
Boil for 10 to 15 minutes until cooked through.
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
- Forms the main protein; cooking firms its flesh into flakes as it heats through.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the salmon and, in the brine, helps firm the flesh and season it lightly.
The step that matters
Boiling the salmon slices. Boiling for too long can dry out and toughen the flesh, while too little time leaves the center undercooked. Salmon is done when it flakes easily and is opaque throughout, so the 10 to 15 minute window should be checked against the thickness of the slices.
“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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