Clam + Tomato
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 133 recipes, and they share 60 flavor molecules: the top 21% of all ingredient pairs.
Do clam and tomato go together?
Yes. 133 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 60 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 21% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of clam's flavor molecules (60 of 91) also occur in tomato. Among the shared key aromas are 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet) and 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
What each one brings
clam
The roast. Roasted notes make up 16% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 5% for tomato. It carries 31 molecules tomato doesn't have.
tomato
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 8% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 1% for clam. It carries 450 molecules clam doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Capsicum: the best fit for both, top 15% of pairs with clam, top 1% with tomato.
- Potato: top 9% of pairs with clam, top 5% with tomato.
- Olive: top 21% of pairs with clam, top 1% with tomato.
- Beans: top 22% of pairs with clam, top 1% with tomato.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with clam and tomato
Almost always mains: 22 of the 24 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: clam has 31 molecules tomato doesn't, and tomato has 450 that clam doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 60 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 31 only in clam and the 450 only in tomato.
Clam and tomato questions
Do clam and tomato go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 133 recipes, and they share 60 flavor molecules: the top 21% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do clam and tomato taste good together?
More than half of clam's flavor molecules (60 of 91) also occur in tomato. Among the shared key aromas are 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet) and 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
What goes with clam and tomato?
Capsicum is the best third ingredient: top 15% of pairs with clam and top 1% with tomato. Potato and olive also fit both.
What can you make with clam and tomato?
Almost always mains: 22 of the 24 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Linguini with Tuna and Tomato Sauce, Manhattan Clam Chowder, Mexican-Style Clams, Panko and Chile‑Dusted Catfish with Tomato Chutney and Lemon Sauce.
Can I use tomato instead of clam?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: clam has 31 molecules tomato doesn't, and tomato has 450 that clam doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
Compare other ingredients
Ranks compare this pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. Molecule counts are what the studies and databases we aggregate have reported for each ingredient: a measure of coverage, not a full census. How we score pairs
Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). Compound similarity analysis: Clam vs Tomato. https://compkitchen.com/compare/clam-vs-tomato. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_clam_vs_tomato_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Clam vs Tomato},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/clam-vs-tomato},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.