Tuna Salad Sandwich

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. Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together27,047 recipes

   Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

2. Celery + lemontop 3% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together3,467 recipes

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

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

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

4. Celery + oniontop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together18,518 recipes

   Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

5. Celery + ricetop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together2,169 recipes

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

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 flaky texture of the salad.

Yogurt

Adds moisture and creaminess, binding the salad without heavy mayonnaise.

Celery

Adds crisp texture that contrasts with the soft tuna.

Grated american cheese

Adds savory richness and helps bind the mixture slightly.

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (celery, pepper, onion, yogurt, vinegar, rice, cheese):

1. Limefits better
2. Avocadofits better
3. Mangofits better
4. Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against celery, pepper, onion, yogurt, vinegar, rice, cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.