Why it works: Peas and asparagus match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 808 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Asparagus Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Boil the peas for 30 minutes.
Cut the asparagus tips.
Assemble and serve
Mix the asparagus tips and celery with the mayonnaise dressing just before serving.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Peas + asparagustop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together808 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Asparagus + celerytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together378 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
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Peas + celerytop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,832 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- French peas
- Provide the main body and bulk of the salad.
- Asparagus tips
- Add tender texture and a distinct vegetable flavor.
- Celery
- Adds crisp texture that contrasts with the softer vegetables.
- Mayonnaise dressing
- Adds fat and creaminess that coats and binds the salad.
The step that matters
Mixing in the dressing just before serving. Mayonnaise dressing is acidic and oily and draws moisture from vegetables over time, so celery loses its crispness and the salad turns soft and watery if it sits dressed for long.
Swap the celery
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (peas, asparagus):
- Tarragonfits better
- Mintfits better
- Capersfits better
- Celerythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against peas, asparagus. 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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