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Salad

Tuna and Potato Salad

A salad of boiled potatoes, green beans, tuna, anchovies, pesto, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and parsley.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Pepper and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Tuna and Potato Salad

Time2 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the beans

  1. Blanch the defrosted green beans for 2 minutes in boiling water, then drain them.

  2. Plunge the drained green beans in cold water, then drain again.

Assemble the salad

  1. Place the cooked potatoes, beans and tuna in a salad bowl.

  2. Mix the anchovies and pesto with the mayonnaise and pour onto the salad.

  3. Add salt and pepper and toss. Garnish with parsley.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

485Calories
32 gProtein
19 gFat
45 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 9 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Salmon100g cooked208
Potato1 medium (173g) baked161
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0
Saucenot in our table0

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.

  1. Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  2. Potato + parsleytop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,855 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  3. Green beans + potatotop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).

  4. Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together8,305 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Green beans + parsleytop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together70 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

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

What each ingredient does

New potatoes
Provide the starchy bulk that holds the salad together.
Tuna
Adds savoury, meaty flakes that give the salad its main protein and flavour.
Green beans
Add a crisp, fresh texture and bright colour.
Mayonnaise
Adds fat and creaminess, coating the other ingredients in a smooth dressing.
Pesto sauce
Adds herby, garlicky aroma and savoury flavour to the dressing.

The step that matters

Plunge the beans in cold water after blanching. Cold water stops the cooking immediately, so the beans keep their bright green colour and crisp texture instead of turning soft and dull from residual heat.

Swap the green beans

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, sauce, pepper, parsley):

  1. Carrotfits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Shallotfits better
  4. Green beansthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against potato, sauce, pepper, parsley. 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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