Why it works: Corn and lima beans work together. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 222 recipes. Both carry 2,3-pentanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Yummy Corn Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the corn and beans
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt.
Blanch corn in the boiling water, cooking just until tender, then remove and set aside.
Cook beans in the same water for about 3 minutes, then drain.
When corn is cool enough to handle, cut kernels from cobs and toss with beans.
Dress and marinate
In a clear jar with a lid, shake together tarragon, bacon, vinegar, and olive oil, then shake well and pour over the corn mixture.
Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Lima Bean | 1/2 cup (85g) cooked | 108 |
| Corn | 1/2 cup kernels (82g) | 77 |
| Bacon | 1 slice cooked (8g) | 43 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Tarragon | 1 tsp dried (0.5g) | 2 |
| Champagne | 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.
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.
-
Corn + lima beanstop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together222 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Tarragon + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,547 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Tarragon + olivetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,323 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Corn + tarragontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together47 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
-
Corn + olivetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,502 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Corn
- Provides the sweet, tender kernels that make up most of the salad's bulk.
- Lima beans
- Add a starchy, creamy texture that contrasts with the crisp kernels.
- Olive oil
- Carries the flavor of the other ingredients and coats the vegetables for a silky texture.
- Champagne vinegar
- Adds bright acidity that balances the richness of the oil and bacon.
- Bacon
- Adds smoky, salty fat and savory flavor through the dressing.
The step that matters
Cook the corn just until tender. Corn keeps cooking from residual heat after it leaves the water, and overcooking makes kernels soft and starchy. Pulling it at tender preserves a crisp, sweet bite.
Swap the lima beans
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (corn, tarragon, champagne, vinegar, olive):
- Beansfits better
- Walnutfits better
- Chickpeafits about as well
- Lima beansthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against corn, tarragon, champagne, vinegar, 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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