Why it works: Parsley and lemon 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 ↓
Broiled Salmon Steak with New Potatoes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the salmon
Slice the salmon steak with a sharp knife.
Sever the bone in the center carefully.
Lay the steak in a tin pan.
Dredge the steak with pepper and salt.
Brush the steak with olive oil or melted butter.
Let the steak sit until ready to cook.
Cook and serve
Broil the steak in a wire broiler for about 10 minutes.
Boil new potatoes.
Cut the boiled potatoes into quarters lengthwise.
Arrange the potato quarters around the steak on a platter.
Sprinkle chopped parsley over the salmon.
Melt fresh butter in a pan.
Pour the melted butter over the steak.
Squeeze lemon juice over the dish.
Garnish with parsley among the potatoes.
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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Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Olive + parsleytop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,649 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 steak
- Forms the main protein; broiling sets its flesh and browns the surface.
- Olive oil or melted butter
- Coats the surface so the steak browns evenly and does not dry out under the broiler.
- New potatoes
- Provide starchy body that soaks up the butter and lemon juice.
- Fresh butter
- Adds richness and a rounded flavor to the finished steak and potatoes.
- 1/2 lemon
- Adds acidity that brightens the rich butter and fish.
The step that matters
Broil the steak in a wire broiler for about 10 minutes. Salmon is lean and cooks quickly, so it can dry out or overcook in the time it takes to brown the surface. Watching for the flesh to turn opaque and flake easily helps keep it moist.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (salmon, pepper, olive, parsley, lemon, butter):
- Chivefits about as well
- Shallotfits about as well
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Potatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against salmon, pepper, olive, parsley, lemon, butter. 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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