Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Salmon Cutlets
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the salmon
Remove skin and bones from the salmon.
Mince and pound the salmon until smooth, seasoning with pepper or cayenne and salt.
Shape and coat
Beat the egg in a bowl.
Form the salmon mixture into small cutlets.
Dip each cutlet in the egg.
Coat each cutlet with breadcrumbs.
Fry and serve
Fry the cutlets in butter until golden brown.
If greasy, place on blotting paper before serving.
Serve on a white paper or napkin, garnished with lemon and parsley, alongside tartar sauce.
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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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Butter + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together28,563 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
-
Salmon + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,481 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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Salmon + eggtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,485 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Salmon
- Forms the main body of the cutlets and provides their flavour.
- Egg
- Binds the salmon mixture and helps the breadcrumbs adhere.
- Breadcrumbs
- Form a crisp, golden coating when fried.
- Butter
- Fries the cutlets, adding browning and rich flavour.
The step that matters
Coat each cutlet with breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs stick best to a cutlet that is dry on the surface and evenly coated with egg. Wet or loosely coated cutlets can fall apart or burn unevenly in the butter.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (salmon, egg, butter, pepper):
- Parsleythe original
- Dillfits about as well
- Capersfits about as well
- Nutmegfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against salmon, egg, butter, pepper. 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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