Why it works: Salmon and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,481 recipes. Both carry 2,6-nonadienal, which smells cucumber, green. The science ↓
Salmon Cutlets
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Season the salmon slices with coarse sea salt and black pepper.
Butter a sheet of white paper.
Lay each slice on a separate piece of paper, twisting the ends.
For higher seasoning, add chopped herbs and a little spice.
Cook and serve
Broil gently over a clear fire for 6 to 10 minutes.
Serve with anchovy or caper 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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Salmon + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,481 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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Pepper + buttertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Salmon + peppertop 27% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,446 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Salmon slices
- Forms the main body of the dish, cooking into flaky, tender pieces.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture, keeping the fish from drying as it cooks in the paper.
- White paper
- Wraps each slice so it steams gently in its own moisture while broiling.
The step that matters
Broil gently over a clear fire. Salmon dries out quickly at high heat. A gentle, even fire and the paper wrapping help the flesh cook through while staying moist. Watch the 6 to 10 minute window closely, since thickness and fire strength change the time.
“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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