Name: Ensalada Palmito
Ingredients: ½ of a palm tree heart (or two 14 oz cans of hearts of palm); lettuce leaves; juice of 1 fresh lime; salt; fresh ground black pepper; optional; 1 large vine ripened tomato, chopped; 1 red or yellow sweet pepper, chopped; 1 recipe mayonnaise (see below)

Why it works: Lime and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,491 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Ensalada Palmito

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Cut the heart of palm into small bite-sized pieces.
Pile the pieces on lettuce-lined plates.
Squeeze lime juice through a strainer to catch pulp and seeds.
Add a tiny dash of salt and fresh pepper.

Finish

Add optional ingredients together or individually.
Substitute mayonnaise for lime, salt, and pepper if desired.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

122Calories

8 gProtein

6 gFat

12 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Lettuce	1 cup shredded (36g)	5
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.

Lime + peppertop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,491 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Lettuce + limetop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together408 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Lettuce + tomatotop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,655 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,923 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Lime + tomatotop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,878 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

Hearts of palm: Provides the mild, tender, crisp-textured base of the salad.
Lime juice: Adds acidity that brightens the flavour of the palm hearts.
Mayonnaise: Adds fat and creaminess as an optional dressing in place of lime, salt, and pepper.