9 Bonkers Flavour Combinations That Really Work

Do you love peanut butter on your asparagus? Or blueberries with your fish? Well, you might just be on to something.

There are some crazy flavour combinations that really do taste incredible. But don’t take our word for it, have a look at these…

Peanut butter and gherkins
As it turns out, there are a lot of people who eat peanut butter with gherkins. And there’s a good reason. It works. Over to Joy the Baker who created this peanut butter, maple syrup and pickle sandwich on her blog. “It’s like the taste bud fairies did an ugly backflip and blessed this combination,” she writes. Creamy, earthy peanut butter; sweet and vinegary gherkins and a drizzle of maple syrup to bring the whole thing together. Beautiful. Trust me.

Blueberries and salmon
I know what you’re thinking. Blueberries are better off in a vanilla-scented muffin and not next to a plate of oily fish. But blueberries have a sweet-tartness that offsets the rich, sweet salmon. Try them raw, tumbled into a salmon salad, or make a sticky sauce using fresh blueberries, maple syrup and a squeeze of orange juice. Just swirl it all in a pan on a low heat until dark and syrupy before pouring over cooked salmon.

Sweet potato and cinnamon
Cinnamon? Sprinkled over our sweet potato fries? Yep - it’s not as weird as it sounds. The sweet potato is already sweet - the cinnamon just gives it that touch of warm spice. After you’ve dusted the fries with cinnamon, you can also sprinkle with a little sugar (which is a bit more like a crunchy veggie pudding) or a pinch of sea salt for some contrast.

Avocado and chocolate
Avocado has a creamy, rich buttery texture and flavour and can be used to make a decent chocolate mousse. You just blend avocado flesh with half a banana, some cocoa, honey and vanilla. You can use it as a healthy frosting for cakes as well. Baker Lily Vanilli created a rich chocolate cupcake recipe topped with a green avocado-based frosting and walnuts. It’s surprisingly good.

Marmite and caramel
Honestly. It really does work. This butterscotch sauce has half a teaspoon of Marmite stirred into it and the result is a slightly salty and extremely rich, dark caramel. The Marmite really intensifies the dark, toffee flavours of the sauce and it doesn’t taste overpowering at all. The trick is just to use a tiny bit. But why stop there? Try Marmite in your chocolate cakes and buttercream icing, too.

Asparagus and peanut
You might be used to dunking asparagus spears in a dippy boiled egg, but have you ever tried asparagus and peanuts together? The asparagus has a fresh, earthy flavour which is sweetened by the peanut satay sauce here. In fact, any greens work well with peanuts - the asparagus just has a sweeter, more intense flavour. Definitely one to try while asparagus is still in season, up until the end of June.

Ham and vanilla
Salty gammon slathered with a teaspoon or two of vanilla paste and baked until cooked. The speckled vanilla seeds give the ham (or gammon) a fragrant, musky flavour that’s not overly sweet. The flavour gets stronger after it’s been cooled, wrapped and stored in the fridge overnight. Obviously vanilla works with bacon, too.

Pear and Parmesan
Hmm. Not a combination you’d immediately think of, but it works, especially with soft, ripe pears and a good, tangy Parmesan cheese. Try it in salads or in your baking, or make ice cream or sorbet with it. Ice cream parlour Gelato Gusto have included a Pear and Parmesan sorbetto in their range. Owner Jon Adams told us why it works: ‘you have that sweetness coming from the pear purée perfectly contrasted with the bursts of saltiness from the tiny pieces of parmesan, mixed throughout the sorbetto.” We’ll take two, please.

Strawberries and basil
It wasn’t long ago that we all thought strawberries with balsamic vinegar was weird. But what about basil? Well, that works, too. If you taste a fresh basil leaf on its own, it’s sweet and a little bit peppery. A few basil leaves sliced up and scattered over fresh strawberries gives them a fresh, almost tropical flavour. And why not slosh a drop of balsamic vinegar in as well, while you’re at it, for another level of contrast. Try shredded basil leaves folded into Eton Mess or sprinkled onto strawberry tarts.

What are your favourite ‘weird’ flavour combinations?