Name: Grilled Cuban Bread Salad
Ingredients: 4 slc Cuban or French bread, 1/2"-thick; Olive oil; 1/4 cup Mixed chopped herbs (basil, parsley, thyme); Salt to taste; Freshly-ground black pepper to taste; 1 Vine-ripened tomato cut into 4 slices; 1/2 cup Spanish Tetilla cheese (or Muenster or Jack cheese); 4 cup Mesclun greens; 4 Hard-boiled eggs peeled, quartered; VINAIGRETTE; 1/4 cup Sherry vinegar; 1 tsp Finely-grated orange zest - (heaping); 3/4 cup Olive oil; 1 sm Shallot finely chopped; 1 pch Cumin; Salt to taste; Freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Why it works: Parsley and thyme match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,057 recipes. Both carry cuminaldehyde, which smells Spicy, cumin. 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.

Parsley + thymetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,057 recipes

Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Basil + thymetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,768 recipes

Shared aroma: terpineol (pine, woody).
Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,539 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Basil + tomatotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,979 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Basil + parsleytop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,351 recipes

Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

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

What each ingredient does

Cuban or french bread: Provides a sturdy, toasted base that holds up to the dressing without going soggy.
Olive oil: Carries flavour and promotes browning on the bread and tomato as they grill.
Tomato: Adds juicy acidity and moisture that contrasts with the melted cheese and charred bread.
Tetilla cheese: Melts into a creamy, savoury layer that binds the tomato to the bread.
Sherry vinegar: Adds bright acidity that balances the rich olive oil in the vinaigrette.
Hard-boiled eggs: Add richness and substance to the salad through their creamy yolks.

The step that matters

Grilling the cheese on the tomato. Cheese melts quickly and can burn or scorch before the bread is toasted if the heat is too high. Keep the lid closed and watch closely so it softens evenly without browning too far.

Swap the parsley

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (bread, olive, basil, thyme, pepper, tomato, cheese):

Oreganofits better
Marjoramfits about as well
Rosemaryfits about as well
Parsleythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against bread, olive, basil, thyme, pepper, tomato, cheese. 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
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Orange	1 medium (131g)	62
Wine	2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)	25
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Shallot	1 tbsp minced (10g)	7
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Thyme	1 tsp dried (1.4g)	4
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Basil	5 leaves fresh (2.5g)	1
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Grilled Cuban Bread Salad