Why it works: Almond and olive match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,875 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Salted Almonds
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the almonds
Blanch the almonds by pouring boiling water over them and letting them sit for a few minutes to remove the skins.
Boil the almonds for 15 minutes in a strong solution of water and salt.
Remove the almonds and dry them.
Fry and drain
Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan.
Add some almonds to the hot oil and fry until golden brown, stirring constantly.
Remove the fried almonds and drain on brown paper.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
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.
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Almond + olivetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,875 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
- Almonds
- Form the crunchy, toasty-flavoured body of the snack once fried.
- Olive oil
- Conducts heat for frying and gives the almonds a rich, golden crisp.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the almonds and adds a savoury, sharp flavour against the nuts.
The step that matters
Frying until golden brown while stirring constantly. Almonds darken quickly once the oil is hot, and residual heat keeps cooking them after removal. Constant stirring keeps the heat even so they brown evenly without scorching at the edges.
“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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