Name: Tomato Cucumber and Red Onion Salad with Mint
Ingredients: 2 large cucumbers - halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced; 1/3 cup red wine vinegar; 1 Tbsp white sugar; 1 tsp salt; 3 large tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped; 2/3 cup coarsely chopped red onion; ½ cup chopped fresh mint leaves; 3 Tbsps olive oil; Salt and pepper to taste

Why it works: Tomato and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,539 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Tomato Cucumber and Red Onion Salad with Mint

Timean hour

Ingredients

2 large cucumbers - halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp white sugar
1 tsp salt
3 large tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
2/3 cup coarsely chopped red onion
½ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
3 Tbsps olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Marinate the cucumbers

In a large bowl, toss together the cucumbers, vinegar, sugar and salt. Let stand at room temperature for an hour, stirring occasionally.

Assemble the salad

Add tomatoes, onion, mint and oil to cucumbers and toss to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

259Calories

3 gProtein

14 gFat

33 gCarbs

Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 8 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Red Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Cucumber	1/2 cup sliced (52g)	16
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Peppermint	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.

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.

Tomato + olivetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,539 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Cucumber + tomatotop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,405 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Cucumber + minttop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together884 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Cucumber + olivetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,611 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).
Red wine + tomatotop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together806 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

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

What each ingredient does

Cucumbers: Release water when salted, giving the salad a crisp, juicy body.
Red wine vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the salad and seasons the cucumbers as they stand.
White sugar: Balances the sharpness of the vinegar and softens the overall flavour.
Tomatoes: Contribute juice and sweetness, moistening the salad and adding body.
Red onion: Adds sharp, pungent flavour that cuts through the sweetness of the tomatoes.
Olive oil: Adds fat that carries flavour and gives the dressing a smooth, rounded mouthfeel.

The step that matters

Letting the cucumbers stand with salt and vinegar. Salt draws water out of the cucumbers through osmosis. Stirring during the hour helps the salt and vinegar season them evenly and keeps them from turning watery later, so the hour should not be skipped.

Swap the mint

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cucumber, red wine, vinegar, sugar, tomato, onion, olive):

Garlicfits better
Thymefits better
Corianderfits better
Mintthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cucumber, red wine, vinegar, sugar, tomato, onion, olive. 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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Tomato Cucumber and Red Onion Salad with Mint