Why it works: Lettuce and mustard match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,356 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Un-Caesar Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dressing
Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy.
Assemble the salad
Wash lettuce and tear into bite sized pieces.
Pour dressing over lettuce and toss.
Add croutons if desired.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Maple Syrup | 1 tbsp (20ml) | 52 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Romaine Lettuce | 1 cup shredded (36g) | 5 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| Sauce | 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.
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.
-
Lettuce + mustardtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,356 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,665 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Lettuce + olivetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,580 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
-
Garlic + mustardtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together4,053 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Olive + lemontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,922 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Romaine lettuce
- Forms the crisp leafy base that holds the dressing.
- Nayonaise
- Provides creamy body and emulsified richness to the dressing.
- Olive oil
- Adds fat and smoothness, helping the dressing coat the leaves.
- Garlic
- Contributes pungent aroma that defines the classic Caesar flavour.
- Dijon mustard
- Adds sharpness and helps stabilise the emulsion.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances richness.
The step that matters
Blend the dressing until smooth and creamy. Blending fully emulsifies the oil into the nayonaise and mustard. If it is under-blended, the oil separates and the dressing turns greasy and thin instead of coating the leaves evenly.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lettuce, olive, clove, garlic, mustard, maple syrup, sauce):
- Avocadofits better
- Limefits better
- Cherryfits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against lettuce, olive, clove, garlic, mustard, maple syrup, sauce. 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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