Why it works: Pepper and parsley 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 a LA Mold
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the salmon
Remove all bones from the salmon and chop it finely.
Melt the butter gently and mix it into the salmon until smooth.
Make the mixture
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and add the bread crumbs, mixing well.
Season the mixture with pepper, salt, and parsley.
Combine the seasoned mixture with the salmon.
Transfer the mixture to a buttered mold.
Steam and serve
Steam for one hour.
Serve with drawn butter sauce poured around it.
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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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Egg + breadtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
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Butter + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together28,563 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
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Bread + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,588 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Salmon
- Provides the main body and flavor of the dish.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and help it set firm when steamed.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture to the salmon.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb moisture and give the mixture body and a tender texture.
The step that matters
Steaming the mold. Steam gently and keep the water at a steady simmer; high heat or boiling water can make the egg-based mixture puff and turn rubbery, while steady gentle heat lets the eggs set into a tender, sliceable custard-like texture.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (salmon, egg, butter, bread, pepper):
- Parsleythe original
- Capersfits about as well
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Tarragonfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against salmon, egg, butter, bread, 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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