Why it works: Shrimp and scallop share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and 26 recipes mention both. Both carry 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, which smells cocoa, roasted. The science ↓
The recipe
6 servingsIngredients
Contains: milk, wheat, shellfish (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.
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook 5 minutes, stirring, until browned and their liquid has evaporated. Transfer to a bowl.
Pat the shrimp and scallops dry. Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and scallops in a single layer and cook 2 minutes per side until opaque and the shrimp reach 145°F (63°C) in the thickest part. Transfer to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium. Sprinkle the flour and black pepper over the pan drippings and stir for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the clam juice and simmer about 3 minutes, stirring, until thickened.
Return the mushrooms to the pan and simmer 2 minutes. Stir in the dry sherry.
Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the sour cream until smooth. Do not let the sauce boil after adding it.
Return the shrimp, scallops and any juices to the pan. Gently warm over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, without boiling, until heated through.
Stir in the chopped parsley and serve hot.
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.
-
Shrimp + scalloptop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together26 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (cocoa, roasted).
-
Shrimp + clamtop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together102 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Butter + mushroomtop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together12,516 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
-
Butter + creamtop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together41,494 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Butter + clamtop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together840 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
The Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.