Extra virgin olive oil is much more than a condiment: it's a key ingredient that elevates the scent and flavor of every dish. And in summer, the season of gourmet salads, it's what turns a "nice meal" into a truly memorable experience.
But how do you choose the right oil? Each monocultivar (an oil made from a single olive variety) has a unique aromatic identity that can either enhance or flatten your ingredients. Knowing the oil—its scents, strengths, and even defects—and training your nose is key to perfect pairing.
Here are 4 summer salads paired with 4 monocultivar EVOOs, selected by TasterPlace to balance taste, aroma, and gastronomic creativity:
🥗 1. Mediterranean Salad with Chicken, Arugula & Aged Pecorino
+ EVOO: Monocultivar Coratina
Ingredients:
- Sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- Arugula
- Grilled chicken breast
- Black olives
- Capers
- Marinated red onion
- Aged pecorino shavings
- Toasted whole wheat croutons
Pairing: Coratina, a bold Apulian cultivar, is strong and intense with notes of artichoke, freshly cut grass, green pepper, and a distinct bitter-spicy finish. Packed with polyphenols, it's perfect for robust ingredients. It enhances the bitterness of arugula, the savoriness of pecorino, and the complexity of sun-dried tomatoes.
🍑 2. Summer Salad with Peaches, Stracciatella & Culatello
+ EVOO: Monocultivar Taggiasca
Ingredients:
- Sliced peaches
- Stracciatella cheese
- Culatello ham
- Fresh basil
- Toasted almond crumbles
- Pink salt and white pepper
Pairing: Taggiasca, a Ligurian cultivar, is soft and balanced with notes of sweet almond, yellow apple, and a floral touch. Ideal for fresh salads with gentle contrasts, it enhances the peach's sweetness and stracciatella's creaminess without overpowering them.
🍊 3. Citrus Salad with Shrimp & Fennel
+ EVOO: Monocultivar Grignano
Ingredients:
- Thinly sliced fennel
- Fresh orange and pink grapefruit segments
- Seared shrimp
- Black olives
- Toasted pine nuts
- Fresh dill, salt, and pepper
Pairing: Grignano, from Veneto, is refined and aromatic with notes of green apple, fresh herbs, and almond. Its light-medium body complements citrus freshness and the sweetness of shrimp.
🌿 4. Chickpea, Avocado, Cherry Tomato & Mozzarella Salad
+ EVOO: Monocultivar Nocellara del Belice
Ingredients:
- Cooked chickpeas
- Mozzarella
- Datterini cherry tomatoes
- Cubed avocado
- Tropea red onion
- Lemon juice
- Fresh basil and salt
Pairing: This Sicilian cultivar offers a medium fruity profile with notes of green tomato, Mediterranean herbs, green apple, and a pleasant roundness. Great for veggie-forward plates, it brings freshness and harmony to the sweetness of chickpeas and the softness of mozzarella.
Recognizing good olive oil isn't just about taste: it's sensory education. With the TasterPlace Olive Oil Aromas Collection, you can train your nose to recognize positive aromas and flaws, develop scent memory, and match the right EVOO with every dish.
When you train your nose, you refine your taste—and your ability to choose. That way, every salad (or dish) becomes a true sensory journey.
Explore the Olive Oil Aromas Collection.
🔍 3 Tips for Choosing the Right Oil for Your Salads
- Match intensity: The richer the flavors, the more you can go bold with a strong oil like Coratina. For delicate dishes, go light with Taggiasca.
- Bitterness & pungency = quality: When balanced, they enhance veggies, cheeses, white meat, and seafood.
- Train to detect aromas: Only those who can identify artichoke, almond, green tomato, or fresh herbs can truly choose the best oil. The Aromas Collection is the perfect training tool.
🤔 Did you know...? EVOO Aromatic Facts
- Olive oil aromas come not from added flavors, but from natural volatile compounds found in the olives and extraction process.
- Artichoke and green tomato notes are common in Southern Italian oils, while almond and green apple are more frequent in Central-Northern oils.
- A high-quality EVOO can contain over 70 aromatic molecules detectable by the human nose. Training your nose multiplies pleasure at the table.