Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Salt Cod

Salt cod

Analysing hundreds of thousands of recipes uncovers salt cod's optimal flavour pairings.

Salt cod is defined by the unmistakable flavours of ocean and fish, but beneath its saltiness lies a complex symphony of subtle flavour notes, such as salt, seaweed, and sulfur, that give it remarkable depth. The key to finding the perfect pairing for salt cod is understanding how these notes harmonise.

To map these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, breaking each one down across 150 flavour dimensions, identifying which notes complement and contrast. Our analysis reveals, for example, how oregano's rosmarinic tones ground salt cod, and how mixed herbs's basilicum notes create a surprising synergy with its marine aroma.

Flavour Profile Of Salt Cod Across 150 Dimensions Of Flavour

The flavour notes evoked by salt cod

Hover over the bars in chart above to identify the flavour notes of salt cod

An ingredient's flavour profile is determined by its core characteristics (e.g. earthy, carnal, and vegetal) enhanced by layers of subtle aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim for a mix of core traits to build balance, and select complementary aroma notes to create harmony.

The Art of Flavour Pairing


To understand how flavour notes harmonise, we analysed more than 50,000 popular ingredient combinations. By exploring these pairings, we identified specific flavour notes that frequently occur together, indicating they share a harmonious relationship.


Our analysis shows that the flavour of ocean is strongly associated with the flavour of basil. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a basil-like flavour, such as mixed herbs, when pairing with the oceanic aromas of salt cod.

The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing salt cod with mixed herbs.

  • Baccalá stuffed courgette flowers
    Great British Chefs

    Francesco Mazzei's Baccalá stuffed courgette flower recipe is a real celebration of summer. Beautifully presented with edible flowers and crisp salads, the flowers are stuffed with a homemade baccalá recipe – a creamy pâté made from dried salted cod which is poached in milk and mashed with oil to create a classic Mediterranean filling.

    • Harmonious Flavours Of Salt Cod


    Just as our analysis indicated that ocean and asparagus flavour notes tend to pair together, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavours present in salt cod. For instance, the fishy notes of salt cod are strongly associated with rosemary and olivey flavours.

    The aromas complementary to the various notes of salt cod can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

    Flavour Profile Of Salt Cod And Its Complementary Flavour Notes

    The flavour notes evoked by salt cod

    Complementary flavours of salt cod

    Hover over the bars in chart above to identify the flavour notes of salt cod

    Matching Flavour Profiles


    The flavour profile of oregano offers many of the aromas complementary to salt cod, including rosemary and basil aromas. Because the flavour profile of oregano has many of the of the features that are complementary to salt cod, they are likely to pair very well together.

    Prominent Flavour Notes Of Oregano Are Represented By Longer Bars

    The flavour notes evoked by oregano

    Hover over the bars in chart above to identify the flavour notes of oregano

    The chart above shows the unique profile of oregano across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with salt cod.


    Recipes That Pair Salt Cod With Oregano


  • Salt Cod Creamed with Almond Milk, Served with Polenta
    La Cucina Italiana

    Blanch the sun-dried tomatoes in water for 5 minutes, then drain and finely chop them. Remove the salt from the capers by placing them under running w...
  • Minjos
    Académie du Goût

    Il n’existe pas de traduction pour « minjos ». Le mot viendrait de « menjar » (manger) en catalan de Valence. Il s’agit de petits chaussons fourrés de blettes ou d’herbes (pissenlit) et de morue, généralement servis avec un aïoli. Nous avons renforcé la farce d’un peu de tomate et d’ail confits et modifié la pâte qui était un peu trop fruste à notr...

    • Linked Flavour Notes


    Looking at the aroma accents that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of salt cod, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

    The Flavour Notes That Harmonise With Salt Cod And The Ingredients That Share Some Of These Notes

    Salt cod's Strongest Flavours

    Complementary Flavours


    Ingredients with Complementary Flavours





    Flavour groups:


    Acidic

    Floral

    Herbal

    Spice

    Maillard

    Earthy

    Carnal

    The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of salt cod, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the accents complementary to salt cod.


    What To Drink With Salt Cod


    The basil notes in côteaux du languedoc make it a perfect pairing with salt cod. Likewise, the rosemary flavours in tuscany create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of salt cod below.




    The content on our analysis blog is semi-automated. All of the words were manually written by a human, but the content is updated dynamically based on the data.