Name: Lemon Dressing
Ingredients: 1/4 tsp. coarse salt; 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper; 2 large cloves garlic, minced; 1/2 cup olive oil; 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (3 lemons); 2 Tbs. chopped scallions (white and light green parts); 2 Tbs. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Why it works: Lemon and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Lemon Dressing

Ingredients

1/4 tsp. coarse salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (3 lemons)
2 Tbs. chopped scallions (white and light green parts)
2 Tbs. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl or glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Whisk or shake until well blended.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

186Calories

2 gProtein

14 gFat

16 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
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.

Lemon + parsleytop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,037 recipes

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

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together34,122 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Garlic + olivetop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,665 recipes

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

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together27,047 recipes

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

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,308 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

Olive oil: Forms the body of the dressing and carries the flavour of the other ingredients.
Fresh lemon juice: Provides the acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the oil.
Garlic: Adds pungent aroma that mellows as the dressing sits.

Swap the clove

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

Thymefits better
Basilfits better
Marjoramfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, garlic, olive, lemon, parsley. 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.