Name: Asparagus, Lima Bean and Salami Salad
Ingredients: 2 bunches asparagus (30 spears), trimmed and steamed (about 2 pounds); 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 teaspoon chopped garlic; 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped; 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (1 lemon); 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup frozen baby lima beans, cooked; 2 ounces Genoa salami, cut into matchstick pieces (about 2/3 cup)

Why it works: Rosemary and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 845 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Asparagus, Lima Bean and Salami Salad

Time3 to 5 minutes

Ingredients

2 bunches asparagus (30 spears), trimmed and steamed (about 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (1 lemon)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen baby lima beans, cooked
2 ounces Genoa salami, cut into matchstick pieces (about 2/3 cup)

Directions

Prepare the asparagus

Cook asparagus in lightly salted boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender‑crisp.
Drain asparagus into a colander and shock under cold running water for 3 minutes.
Allow excess water to drain, stack in bundles and cut into 1‑inch pieces.

Dress and toss

Place asparagus pieces in a large bowl.
Add oil, garlic, rosemary, lemon zest, salt, and pepper to the bowl.
Add lima beans and salami; toss to coat.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

280Calories

11 gProtein

14 gFat

32 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 8 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Lima Bean	1/2 cup (85g) cooked	108
Asparagus	6 spears (90g)	27
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Rosemary	1 tsp dried (1.2g)	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

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.

Rosemary + lemontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together845 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,665 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Olive + rosemarytop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,590 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together27,047 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Garlic + rosemarytop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,180 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Asparagus: Provides the tender-crisp bright green vegetable base of the salad.
Extra-virgin olive oil: Carries the garlic, rosemary and lemon flavours and coats the vegetables with fat.
Lemon zest: Adds bright aromatic acidity from the fragrant oils in the peel.
Lima beans: Add starchy body and a soft, creamy texture to the salad.
Genoa salami: Contributes salty, savoury flavour and fat that enriches the dressed salad.

The step that matters

Shock the asparagus in cold water. Cooking continues from residual heat after draining, so asparagus keeps cooking and turns dull and soft unless it is cooled quickly. Shocking in cold water stops the cooking and keeps the spears tender-crisp and bright green.

Swap the lima beans

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (asparagus, olive, garlic, rosemary, lemon, pepper, salami):

Chickpeafits better
Beansfits better
Sesamefits better
Lima beansthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against asparagus, olive, garlic, rosemary, lemon, pepper, salami. 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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Asparagus, Lima Bean and Salami Salad