Name: Herb Salad with Almond Vinaigrette
Ingredients: 8 cups loosely packed, small fresh baby or micro greens; 1 Tbs. fresh chervil; 1 Tbs. fresh chives; 1 Tbs. fresh parsley; 1 Tbs. fresh tarragon leaves; 1/4 lb. (1/2 cup) fresh almonds, coarsely chopped; 2 Tbs. almond oil; 1 Tbs. sherry vinegar; Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; 1 cup thin shavings fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Why it works: Chervil and tarragon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 824 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

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.

Chervil + tarragontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together824 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Chervil + chivetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together370 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Parsley + tarragontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,563 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Chive + tarragontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together589 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Chervil + parsleytop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together774 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

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

What each ingredient does

Almonds: Crushed almonds add nutty flavor and body to the dressing.
Almond oil: Carries flavor and forms the emulsified base of the vinaigrette.
Sherry vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the oil.
Parmigiano-reggiano cheese: Adds salty, savory flavor as a finishing garnish.
Baby or micro greens: Provide the leafy bulk and fresh texture of the salad.

The step that matters

Whisk in oil and vinegar until emulsified. Oil and vinegar separate unless whisked vigorously into a stable emulsion, so the dressing coats the leaves evenly instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.

Swap the almond

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chervil, chive, parsley, tarragon, sherry, vinegar, pepper):

Lentilsfits better
Chestnutfits better
Beansfits better
Almondthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chervil, chive, parsley, tarragon, sherry, vinegar, 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Wine	2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)	25
Almond	1 almond (1.2g)	7
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Tarragon	1 tsp dried (0.5g)	2
Chives	1 tbsp (3g)	1
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Chervil	not in our table	0

Herb Salad with Almond Vinaigrette