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Tuna Cheese Salad

A chilled salad of flaked tuna, cubed cheese, gherkins, celery, and mayonnaise served on lettuce.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Celery and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,012 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Tuna Cheese Salad

Time1 hour or longer

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Drain the tuna.

  2. Flake the tuna with a fork into small pieces.

  3. Cut the cheese into ¼‑inch cubes.

Mix and chill

  1. Combine the tuna, cheese, gherkins, celery, and skim‑milk mayonnaise; mix well.

  2. Cover the bowl and chill for 1 hour or longer.

Serve

  1. Serve on crisp lettuce, garnished with thin strips of green pepper.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

698Calories
50 gProtein
45 gFat
21 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Salmon100g cooked208
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Cheddar Cheese1 oz (28g)113
Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Waternot in our table0

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.

  1. Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together16,012 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  2. Cheese + milktop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,426 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  3. Cheese + peppertop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together7,861 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Celery + milktop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,491 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-decalactone (peach, creamy).

  5. Cheese + celerytop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together647 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-decalactone (peach, creamy).

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

What each ingredient does

Tuna
Provides the main protein and the flaky body of the salad.
Cheese
Adds richness and a creamy, savoury flavour that binds the salad.
Mayonnaise
Supplies moisture and fat that hold the mixture together and keep it creamy.
Celery
Adds a crisp texture that contrasts with the soft tuna and cheese.
Sweet gherkins
Adds sweetness and acidity that balance the richness of the mayonnaise.

The step that matters

Chill the salad for 1 hour or longer. Chilling lets the flavours meld and firms the mayonnaise so the salad holds together and tastes less sharp when served.

Swap the celery

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cheese, milk, pepper):

  1. Thymefits better
  2. Clovefits about as well
  3. Rosemaryfits about as well
  4. Celerythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cheese, milk, pepper. 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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