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Salad

Romaine Strawberry Salad

A salad of romaine lettuce, strawberries, red onion, pecans, and blue cheese dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Olive and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,779 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Romaine Strawberry Salad

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Toss romaine with the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.

  2. Sprinkle remaining ingredients over romaine immediately before serving.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

517Calories
11 gProtein
43 gFat
28 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Pecans1 oz (28g / ~19 halves)196
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Blue Cheese1 oz (28g)100
Strawberry1 cup (152g)49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Salt1 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.

  1. Olive + oniontop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together29,779 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Olive + pecanstop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together716 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).

  3. Olive + vinegartop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together12,297 recipes

    Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).

  4. Pecans + blue cheesetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together47 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (cocoa, roasted).

  5. Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together68,474 recipes

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

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

What each ingredient does

Romaine
Forms the crisp, leafy base that holds the dressing and toppings.
Extra virgin olive oil
Coats the leaves, adding fat and a smooth mouthfeel to the dressing.
Balsamic vinegar
Adds acidity and sweetness that brighten the dressing and balance the blue cheese.
Strawberries
Contribute sweetness, juiciness and fresh fruit flavor against the sharp cheese.
Blue cheese
Adds salty, pungent richness that contrasts with the sweet strawberries.
Pecans
Add crunch and toasty, nutty flavor to the salad.

The step that matters

Sprinkle remaining ingredients over romaine immediately before serving.. Dressed greens wilt and soften as the acid in the vinegar works on the leaves, so adding the strawberries, onion, pecans and cheese just before serving keeps the lettuce crisp and the toppings crunchy.

Swap the pecans

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, vinegar, pepper, onion, blue cheese):

  1. Sesamefits better
  2. Beansfits better
  3. Chickpeafits better
  4. Pecansthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, vinegar, pepper, onion, blue cheese. 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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