Name: Carrot Walnut Salad
Ingredients: 3 cups fresh carrots, peeled and grated; 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped; 1 cup sultanas; 4 oranges, peeled and thinly sliced (remove any seeds); 1 medium organic onion, finely chopped; 1/4tsp paprika or cayenne; 3 tbsp organic olive oil; Juice of 1 lemon; Salt and Pepper

Why it works: Orange and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,634 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Carrot Walnut Salad

Time30 minutes

Ingredients

3 cups fresh carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 cup sultanas
4 oranges, peeled and thinly sliced (remove any seeds)
1 medium organic onion, finely chopped
1/4tsp paprika or cayenne
3 tbsp organic olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and Pepper

Directions

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large salad bowl.
Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

300Calories

4 gProtein

17 gFat

38 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 10 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Orange	1 medium (131g)	62
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Walnut	1 walnut half (4g)	26
Carrot	1 medium (61g)	25
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Cayenne	1 tsp (1.8g)	6
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Seed	not in our table	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.

Orange + lemontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together10,634 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together27,047 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Carrot + orangetop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together737 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Carrot + peppertop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,555 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Walnut + olivetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,087 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).

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

What each ingredient does

Carrots: Provide the bulk and a crisp, moist texture in the salad.
Walnuts: Add crunch and a rich, slightly bitter nutty flavour.
Sultanas: Add sweetness and chewy texture that balances the sharp citrus.
Oranges: Add juice, sweetness and acidity that moisten and brighten the salad.
Olive oil: Adds fat that carries flavour and coats the carrot and onion.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (carrot, walnut, orange, olive, lemon, pepper):

Capsicumfits better
Spinachfits better
Lettucefits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against carrot, walnut, orange, olive, lemon, 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.