Why it works: Rice and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,379 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Salmon Loaf
Ingredients
Directions
Mix and pack
In a bowl, combine cooked rice, boiling water, salt, beaten egg, pepper, and cooked salmon, then mix the ingredients well.
Pack the mixture into a greased mold.
Steam and serve
Steam for 1 hour.
Turn the loaf onto a platter.
Pour white sauce around the loaf and garnish with hard-cooked eggs, olives, and parsley.
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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Rice + peppertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,379 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Egg + salmontop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,485 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Rice + salmontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together730 recipes
Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
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Pepper + salmontop 27% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,446 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Rice + eggtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,350 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cooked salmon
- Provides the main flavour and protein that sets into the body of the loaf.
- Egg
- Binds the mixture so the loaf holds its shape when sliced.
- Cooked rice
- Adds bulk and a soft texture that lightens the dense salmon.
The step that matters
Steam for 1 hour. Gentle, steady steam heats the beaten egg slowly so it sets into a firm loaf without curdling or drying out. Overly hot or uneven heat can make the texture rubbery or crumbly, so keep the steamer at a steady simmer.
“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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