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 ↓
Salt Almonds
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the almonds
Select the best paper-shelled almonds and remove the shells.
Pour boiling water over the almonds and let them stand for 15 to 20 minutes.
Skin the almonds once the skins slip off easily.
Lay the almonds on a pie plate without drying them.
Salt and bake
Sprinkle thickly with salt and turn them to coat all sides.
Place in a 350°F (175°C) oven, shaking occasionally and turning the pan if one side browns quicker.
When golden brown, remove from the oven and discard the extra salt.
For a variation, coat the almonds with 1 teaspoon of olive oil before adding salt.
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
- Provide the crunchy, nutty base that toasts and browns in the oven.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the nut surface and sticks to the skinless almonds as they dry.
- Olive oil
- Helps the optional salt cling to the almonds and adds a subtle richness.
The step that matters
Baking until golden brown. Almonds darken quickly once their sugars and proteins begin to brown, so they can turn bitter if left too long. Shaking and turning the pan promotes even browning.
“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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