Why it works: Halloumi and fig work together. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and 3 recipes mention both. Both carry ethyl butyrate, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
The recipe
Serves 6Ingredients
Contains: milk, tree nuts (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Toast the pecan halves in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant. Tip them onto a plate and set aside.
Heat a griddle pan over high heat until very hot.
Brush the halloumi slices and fig halves with some of the olive oil. Griddle the halloumi for 2 minutes per side until golden, then set aside. Griddle the figs cut side down for 2 to 3 minutes until charred and softened.
Whisk the rose harissa (or normal harissa, if using) with the lemon juice and the remaining olive oil to make a dressing.
Put the rocket in a large bowl and add the figs, halloumi, pecans and chopped coriander. Drizzle over the dressing, toss gently and serve straight away.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Halloumi + figtop 13% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together3 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl butyrate (apple, fruity).
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Lemon + coriandertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,498 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Halloumi + cheesetop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together86 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Halloumi + olivetop 4% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together85 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl butyrate (apple, fruity).
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Olive + coriandertop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together5,708 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the coriander
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (halloumi, cheese, fig, olive, lemon, rose):
- Peppermintbetter flavor fit
- Mintbetter flavor fit
- Rosemaryabout as good a flavor fit
- Corianderthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against halloumi, cheese, fig, olive, lemon, rose. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
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