Why it works: Pineapple and apple cider vinegar share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 26 recipes mention both. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓
The recipe
2 servingsIngredients
Contains: shellfish, sesame (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Pat the scallops dry and season them with the pinch of salt. Refrigerate them until ready to sear.
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat for about 2 minutes, stirring, until golden. Set aside.
Bring a pan of boiling water to a boil, add the trimmed green beans, and cook for 3 minutes until crisp-tender. Drain and set aside.
Heat the 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the sliced shallot for about 3 minutes until soft and lightly browned. Remove from the heat.
In a bowl, combine the pineapple, ginger, lemon grass, cilantro, honey, apple cider vinegar, red pepper flakes, extra-virgin olive oil, cooked shallot, and salt to taste. Let the salsa rest for 10 minutes.
Heat the safflower oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sear the scallops for about 90 seconds per side until golden and opaque, cooking to 145°F (63°C).
Warm the green beans in a clean skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, seasoning with salt to taste and a splash of water if needed.
Spoon the salsa over the scallops, sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds, and serve with the green beans.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Pineapple + apple cider vinegartop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together26 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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Ginger + lemon grasstop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together364 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Ginger + sesametop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together1,531 recipes
Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
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Pineapple + honeytop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together262 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).
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Honey + apple cider vinegartop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together169 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the shallot
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, pineapple, ginger, lemon grass, honey, apple cider vinegar, sesame):
- Capsicumbetter flavor fit
- Tomatobetter flavor fit
- Broccolibetter flavor fit
- Shallotthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against olive, pineapple, ginger, lemon grass, honey, apple cider vinegar, sesame. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
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