Why it works: Cider and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,431 recipes. Both carry 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol, which smells smoky, clove. The science ↓
Salmon Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dressing
In a saucepan, combine cider vinegar, melted butter, mustard, sugar, eggs, and salt.
Cook over low heat, stirring until the mixture creams up nicely.
Once cool, stir in milk or cream.
Assemble and serve
Pour the dressing over the canned salmon and mix gently.
Garnish with tender lettuce leaves 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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Cider + vinegartop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,431 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Cider + mustardtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,414 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
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Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Thicken the dressing as they cook and set, giving it a creamy body.
- Canned salmon
- Provides the main protein and bulk of the salad.
- Cider vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens the dressing and balances the sugar and richness.
- Melted butter
- Adds fat that makes the dressing smooth and rich.
- Milk or cream
- Thins the cooked dressing and adds moisture and mild richness.
The step that matters
Cook the dressing over low heat, stirring. Eggs thicken when heated gently, but high heat or no stirring can scramble them, leaving a lumpy dressing instead of a smooth, creamy one.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (salmon, cider, vinegar, butter, sugar, egg, milk):
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Potatofits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against salmon, cider, vinegar, butter, sugar, egg, milk. 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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