Name: Fennel Citrus Salad
Ingredients: 1 medium, about 1½ lbs, fennel bulb, thinly sliced; 4 medium navel oranges, peeled and sliced; ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion; ¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted; 2 tsp olive oil; 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Why it works: Orange and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,634 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Fennel Citrus Salad

Ingredients

1 medium, about 1½ lbs, fennel bulb, thinly sliced
4 medium navel oranges, peeled and sliced
¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted
2 tsp olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions

Combine fennel, oranges, red onion and olives.
Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.
Toss gently and serve.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

268Calories

4 gProtein

14 gFat

36 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Orange	1 medium (131g)	62
Red Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Fennel Bulb	1/2 bulb (87g)	27
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Olive	1 large (4g)	4

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.

Orange + lemontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together10,634 recipes

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

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together723 recipes

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

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together201 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Fennel + olivetop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,344 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Olive + lemontop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked 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

Fennel bulb: Provides the crisp, crunchy base and a mild anise aroma.
Navel oranges: Add sweetness and juiciness that balance the salad's savory elements.
Red onion: Adds sharp, pungent bite and a little colour.
Kalamata olives: Contribute salty, briny savouriness that contrasts with the sweet fruit.
Olive oil: Adds fat and a smooth mouthfeel that carries the flavours together.
Lemon juice: Adds acidity that brightens the dish and cuts the richness of the oil.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (fennel, orange, olive, lemon):

Carrotfits better
Tomatofits better
Capsicumfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against fennel, orange, olive, lemon. 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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Fennel Citrus Salad