Why it works: Vinegar and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,814 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Salmon Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Cook and season
Cook the salmon pieces in butter until done.
Remove the salmon from the butter and place on a dish.
Drizzle with a little French vinegar, and season with pepper and coarse sea salt.
Let the salmon marinate for at least 1 hour, or longer if convenient.
Serve
Wipe the salmon with a cloth before serving.
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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Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Salmon + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,481 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Butter + vinegartop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,513 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
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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 pieces
- Form the main protein; cooking in butter sets the flesh while keeping it moist.
- Butter
- Carries heat to the salmon and adds richness and browning flavour during cooking.
- French vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the salmon and slightly firms its surface during marinating.
The step that matters
Cook the salmon until done. Salmon moves from moist to dry within a short window, and overcooking tightens its proteins and squeezes out moisture, so it should be checked as it cooks.
“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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