Why it works: Asparagus and olive match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,096 recipes. Both carry trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Asparagus Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Cook and arrange
Cook the asparagus until tender, then cool it.
Arrange the asparagus on a serving dish with the heads in the center.
Dress and serve
Mix the vinegar with the olive oil or melted butter.
Pour the dressing over the asparagus 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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Asparagus + olivetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,096 recipes
Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
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Vinegar + olivetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,297 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
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Asparagus + vinegartop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together439 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Asparagus
- Forms the main body of the salad and provides its tender, slightly firm texture once cooked.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the richness of the fat.
- Olive oil or melted butter
- Carries flavor and coats the asparagus, adding richness and a smooth moistness.
The step that matters
Cook the asparagus until tender, then cool it. Asparagus continues to cook from residual heat, so it can turn soft and dull in color if left hot. Cooling it promptly stops the cooking and helps keep the spears firm and bright green.
Swap the asparagus
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, olive):
- Tomatofits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Cucumberfits better
- Asparagusthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, olive. 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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