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Salad

Sprout Salad

A salad of alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, celery, bacon bits, oil, and red wine vinegar.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Tomato and celery are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,377 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Sprout Salad

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the vegetables

  1. Cut the tomatoes into chunks about 1.2 inches in diameter.

  2. If using small tomatoes, cut each one at least once.

  3. Remove the core and optionally the gooey parts.

  4. Cut the celery crosswise, with 1-inch spacing near the thick base and 2-inch spacing near the narrow top.

  5. Distribute the celery and tomato pieces evenly in the bottom of a wide bowl.

Wash the sprouts

  1. Hold the sprouts so that they do not separate and entangle themselves, wash them under running water.

  2. Place the sprouts into a bowl full of water.

  3. Gently dunk them and change the water a few times, removing the seed casings without getting the sprouts all tangled up.

  4. Drain the sprouts well.

  5. Shake the sprouts a bit if needed.

Assemble and dress

  1. Spread the sprouts over the tomatoes and celery, still being careful not to make a tangled mess.

  2. Sprinkle the bacon bits over the top of the sprouts.

  3. Use more bacon if needed.

  4. Drizzle oil over the bacon.

  5. Sprinkle vinegar over everything.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

193Calories
4 gProtein
17 gFat
6 gCarbs

Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Bacon1 slice cooked (8g)43
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Alfalfanot 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 Wikibooks Cookbook.

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. Tomato + celerytop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,377 recipes

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

  2. Tomato + red winetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together806 recipes

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

  3. Alfalfa + tomatotop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together35 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-hepten-3-one (metal).

  4. Red wine + vinegartop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together575 recipes

    Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

  5. Alfalfa + celerytop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

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

What each ingredient does

Alfalfa sprouts
Provide the crisp, fresh main body and texture of the salad.
Tomatoes
Add juiciness and a sweet, acidic note that moistens the salad.
Celery
Adds crunch and a fresh, mildly vegetal bite.
Oil
Carries flavour and coats the greens, adding richness and moisture.
Red wine vinegar
Adds sharp acidity that brightens the salad and balances the oil.
Bacon bits
Contribute salty, smoky savoury flavour and a chewy contrast to the crisp vegetables.

The step that matters

Drain the sprouts well. Water left on the sprouts dilutes the oil and vinegar dressing and makes the salad soggy, so the dressing will not cling properly.

Swap the alfalfa

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, celery, red wine, vinegar):

  1. Thymefits better
  2. Tarragonfits better
  3. Rosemaryfits better
  4. Alfalfathe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, celery, red wine, vinegar. 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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