Why it works: Lemon and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Salmon Loaf
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Remove all bones and skin from the canned salmon.
Beat the eggs lightly and mix them with the salmon.
Add the bread crumbs, lemon juice, parsley, salt, and pepper; combine well.
Steam
Pack the mixture into a well-buttered mold.
Steam for 2 hours.
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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Lemon + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Egg + breadtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the salmon mixture so the loaf holds its shape when sliced.
- Stale bread crumbs
- Absorb moisture and add body, keeping the loaf tender rather than dense.
- Canned salmon
- Provides the main flesh and flavor of the loaf.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the mild, rich flavor of the salmon.
The step that matters
Pack the mixture into a well-buttered mold. Loose packing leaves air pockets and gaps, so the loaf may crumble when unmolded. Firm, even packing and a thoroughly greased mold help it hold together and release cleanly after steaming.
“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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