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 gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Blanch the almonds by pouring boiling water over them to loosen the skins. Slip off the skins from the almonds.
In a bowl, mix the almonds with olive oil and salt until well coated.
Bake
Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C). Stir frequently to prevent scorching.
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 base that browns and toasts in the oven.
- Olive oil
- Coats the almonds so the salt sticks and they toast evenly.
The step that matters
Stirring during baking. Almonds are low in moisture and high in oil, so they can scorch quickly once the surface darkens. Stirring frequently moves the outer nuts to the cooler spots and 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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