Name: Fennel and Green Olive Tapenade
Ingredients: 1 small fennel bulb, tough outer layer removed, roughly chopped; 1 large shallot, roughly chopped; 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided; 2 teaspoons fresh lemon thyme (regular thyme works too); 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup green olives (kalamata or picholine); 1/2 lime, juiced

Why it works: Fennel and thyme match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 337 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Fennel and Green Olive Tapenade

Ingredients

1 small fennel bulb, tough outer layer removed, roughly chopped
1 large shallot, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons fresh lemon thyme (regular thyme works too)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup green olives (kalamata or picholine)
1/2 lime, juiced

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

192Calories

3 gProtein

15 gFat

18 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 9 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Fennel Bulb	1/2 bulb (87g)	27
Lemon Thyme	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Shallot	1 tbsp minced (10g)	7
Thyme	1 tsp dried (1.4g)	4
Olive	1 large (4g)	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By biggirlssmallkitchen. Recipe from Open Recipes.

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.

Fennel + thymetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together337 recipes

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

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,973 recipes

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

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,476 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Lemon + limetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,289 recipes

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

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together723 recipes

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

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

Swap the shallot

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (fennel, olive, lemon, thyme, pepper, lime):

Capsicumfits about as well
Kalefits about as well
Shallotthe original
Spinachfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against fennel, olive, lemon, thyme, pepper, lime. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

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