Why it works: Shrimp and okra work together. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and 80 recipes mention both. Both carry 2,3-pentanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
The recipe
6 servingsIngredients
Contains: 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.
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the chopped okra and cook, stirring often, for about 20 minutes until its sliminess reduces and it begins to brown lightly.
Stir in the chopped onion, celery, and green bell pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring, until softened.
Add the minced garlic, tomato paste, and chopped tomato. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring, so the paste darkens slightly.
Pour in the water and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for about 80 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
Stir in the shrimp and chopped green onions. Cook 3 to 5 minutes until the shrimp are pink and opaque and reach 145°F (63°C) in the thickest part.
Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, and cayenne. 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.
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Shrimp + okratop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together80 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
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Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together14,164 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together29,030 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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Tomato + garlictop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together14,075 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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Tomato + celerytop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together3,375 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the celery
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (shrimp, pepper, olive, okra, tomato, onion, garlic):
- Cuminbetter flavor fit
- Corianderabout as good a flavor fit
- Thymeabout as good a flavor fit
- Celerythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against shrimp, pepper, olive, okra, tomato, onion, garlic. 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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