Why it works: Anchovy and turkey work together. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and 80 recipes mention both. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
The recipe
Serves 4Ingredients
Contains: milk, fish (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.
In a large bowl, mix the minced turkey with the chopped onion, crushed garlic clove, chopped parsley, and most of the grated Parmesan, keeping a little Parmesan aside for topping.
Divide the mixture into four equal patties about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick and press a shallow dent in the center of each so they cook flat.
Chill the patties in the refrigerator for 10 minutes while you make the dressing.
In a small bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and diced anchovy if using. Taste the dressing and keep it chilled until serving.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties for 5 to 6 minutes per side, until the center reaches 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part.
Split the wholemeal buns and toast them cut side down in the skillet or a dry pan for about 1 minute, until lightly golden.
Spread the bottom halves of the buns with a spoonful of the dressing, then add shredded romaine, sliced tomatoes, and a turkey patty.
Spoon over more dressing, sprinkle with the reserved Parmesan, add the bun tops, and serve right 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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Anchovy + turkeytop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together80 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Lemon + parsleytop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together14,036 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together29,030 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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Garlic + parsleytop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together9,294 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Parsley + lettucetop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,483 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the lettuce
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (garlic, anchovy, lemon, parsley, yogurt, turkey, onion):
- Potatobetter flavor fit
- Tomatobetter flavor fit
- Chivebetter flavor fit
- Lettucethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against garlic, anchovy, lemon, parsley, yogurt, turkey, onion. 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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