Name: Black Bean and Corn Salad
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 can (540 mL/19 oz) no salt added black beans, rinsed and drained; 1 can (540 mL/19 oz) no salt added corn kernels, rinsed and drained; 2 tomatoes, chopped finely; 1 red bell pepper, diced; 60 mL (¼ cup) cilantro, chopped; 190 mL (¾ cup) cooked chicken, diced; 15 mL (1 tbsp) lime juice (about ½ lime); 15 mL (1 tbsp) olive oil; 2 mL (½ tsp) ground cumin; 2 mL (½ tsp) garlic powder; Salt and pepper to taste

Why it works: Lime and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,216 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

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.

Lime + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,216 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Beans + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,188 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Tomato + olivetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,539 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Beans + tomatotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,713 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Pepper + limetop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,491 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

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

What each ingredient does

Black beans: Adds bulk, earthy flavour and a firm, hearty texture to the salad.
Corn: Adds natural sweetness and a crisp, juicy bite.
Cooked chicken: Adds protein and a substantial, meaty texture.
Tomatoes: Adds moisture and a fresh, slightly acidic juiciness.
Lime juice: Adds acidity that brightens the flavours and balances the dressing.
Olive oil: Adds fat that carries flavour and gives the dressing a smooth mouthfeel.

Swap the lime

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beans, corn, tomato, pepper, chicken, olive, cumin):

Avocadofits about as well
Limethe original
Cherryfits less well
Mangofits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against beans, corn, tomato, pepper, chicken, olive, cumin. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Black Bean	1/2 cup canned (120g) drained	114
Corn	1/2 cup kernels (82g)	77
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Cilantro	1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Black Bean and Corn Salad