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 ↓
Salted Almonds
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the almonds
Blanch the almonds by pouring boiling water over them and letting them stand for 2 minutes.
Drop the almonds in cold water and rub off the brown skins with a coarse towel.
Let the almonds dry thoroughly.
Season and bake
Drizzle the olive oil or melted butter over the almonds and let them stand for a while.
Sprinkle with salt and mix thoroughly with a spoon.
Spread the almonds in a single layer on a baking pan.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 10 to 15 minutes until crisp and brown, stirring once or twice while baking.
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 body of the snack and brown to a nutty flavour when baked.
- Olive oil or melted butter
- Coats the almonds so salt sticks and the nuts toast evenly with added richness.
- Coarse sea salt
- Adds savoury seasoning on the surface, which is more noticeable on the oiled nuts.
The step that matters
Drying the almonds before oiling. Any water left on the skins prevents the oil from coating evenly and slows browning, so the almonds may steam rather than crisp in the oven. Drying thoroughly lets the oil adhere and the nuts toast properly.
“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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