Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Squid Ink Pasta

Top flavour pairings and squid ink pasta recipes, revealed through the hidden methmatics of flavour.

Squid ink pasta is marked by the unmistakable accents of iodine and brine. But look beneath its obvious umaminess and you'll discover a captivating symphony of softer notes, a whisper of seaweed, a hint of glutamate, and subtle accents reminiscent of sardine that contribute remarkable depth. The key to finding the perfect pairing for squid ink pasta is understanding how these notes harmonise.

To illuminate these harmonies, we embarked on an ambitious journey, analysing thousands of ingredients. Each was meticulously deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, allowing us to pinpoint precisely which notes complement in both classic and unexpected ways. Our findings reveal, for instance, how flat-leaf parsley's leafy tones can carry squid ink pasta, or how extra virgin olive oil's hexenal notes create an unexpectedly harmonious bridge with the salty character.

An ingredient's flavour profile is determined by its core characteristics (e.g. woody, herbal, and nectarous) enhanced by layers of subtle aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim for a mix of core traits to build balance, and select complementary aroma notes to create harmony.

The Art of Flavour Pairing

To understand how flavour notes harmonise, we analysed more than 50,000 popular ingredient combinations. By exploring these pairings, we identified specific flavour notes that frequently occur together, indicating they share a harmonious relationship.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Saline Notes

Our analysis shows that the flavour of brine is strongly associated with the flavour of grass. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a grassy flavour, such as extra virgin olive oil, when pairing with the briney aromas of squid ink pasta.

The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing squid ink pasta with extra virgin olive oil.

Harmonious Flavours Of Squid Ink Pasta

Just as our analysis revealed that brine and grassy notes tend to pair together, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavours present in squid ink pasta. For instance, the seaweedy flavours of squid ink pasta are strongly associated with grapefruity and asparagus notes.

The aromas complementing the various aroma notes of squid ink pasta can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of flat-leaf parsley offers many of the aroma notes complementary to squid ink pasta, including leafy and grassy notes. Because the flavour profile of flat-leaf parsley has many of the of the features that are complementary to squid ink pasta, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of flat-leaf parsley across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with squid ink pasta.

Recipes That Pair Squid Ink Pasta With Flat-leaf Parsley

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the aromas that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of squid ink pasta, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of squid ink pasta, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the accents complementary to squid ink pasta.

What To Drink With Squid Ink Pasta

The grassy notes in sauvignon blanc (bordeaux) make it a perfect pairing with squid ink pasta. Likewise, the grassy flavours in sauvignon blanc (loire valley) create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of squid ink pasta below.

Which Herbs Go With Squid Ink Pasta?

Choose herbs that cut through its oceaniness or lift its salty character. Flat-leaf parsley and parsley offer vibrant, clean counterpoints, their verdant freshness lifting the palate. Basil add a gentle, oniony brightness, while bouquet garni introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace herbs that harmonise with squid ink pasta's salinity. The addition of tarragon, with its subtle leafy notes, can complement the brine beautifully, while arugula lends a fresh aroma.

How Flavonomics Works

We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Squid ink pasta), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.