Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Squid Ink
Analysing hundreds of thousands of recipes uncovers squid ink's optimal flavour pairings.
Squid ink is defined by the unmistakable flavours of ocean and seaweed, but beneath its saltiness lies a complex symphony of subtle flavour notes, such as glutamate, salt, and oyster, that give it remarkable depth. The key to finding the perfect pairing for squid ink is understanding how these notes harmonise.
To map these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, breaking each one down across 150 flavour dimensions, identifying which notes complement and contrast. Our analysis reveals, for example, how pistou's basilicum tones ground squid ink, and how basil's basilicum notes create a surprising synergy with its marine aroma.
Flavour Profile Of Squid Ink Across 150 Dimensions Of Flavour
An ingredient's flavour comes from its core characteristics, like earthy, vegetal, and acidic, combined with its unique aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim to include a broad variety of core characteristics for a balanced dish. And choose aroma notes that complement each other for a harmonious combination.
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.
Our analysis shows that the flavour of ocean is strongly associated with the flavour of basil. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a basil-like flavour, such as basil, when pairing with the oceanic aroma accents of squid ink.
The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing squid ink with basil.
Harmonious Flavours Of Squid Ink
Just as our analysis highlighted that ocean and asparagus flavours are harmonious, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the notes present in squid ink. E.g. the seaweedy notes of squid ink are often used with hot and orangey notes.
The aroma notes linked to the various accents of squid ink can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.
Flavour Profile Of Squid Ink And Its Complementary Flavour Notes
Matching Flavour Profiles
The flavour profile of pistou offers many of the accents complementary to squid ink, including basil and olive notes. Because the flavour profile of pistou has many of the of the features that are complementary to squid ink, they are likely to pair very well together.
Prominent Flavour Notes Of Pistou Are Represented By Longer Bars
The chart above shows the unique profile of pistou across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with squid ink.
Recipes That Pair Squid Ink With Pistou
Linked Flavour Notes
Looking at the aroma accents that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of squid ink, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.
The Flavour Notes That Harmonise With Squid Ink And The Ingredients That Share Some Of These Notes
Squid ink's Strongest Flavours
Complementary Flavours
Ingredients with Complementary Flavours
Flavour groups:
Acidic
Floral
Herbal
Spice
Earthy
Carnal
The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of squid ink, 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.
What To Drink With Squid Ink
The basil notes in côteaux du languedoc make it a perfect pairing with squid ink. Likewise, the basil flavours in perricone create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of squid ink below.
The content on our analysis blog is semi-automated. All of the words were manually written by a human, but the content is updated dynamically based on the data.