Name: Shrimp Tacos with Melon-Pineapple Salsa
Yield: Serves 4.
Ingredients: 1/2 small cantaloupe, about 1 1/4 lb., peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice; 1/2 small pineapple, about 1 lb., peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch dice; 1/2 red onion, finely chopped; 1/2 bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped; 1 small cucumber, about 6 oz., peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice; 1/2 jalapeño chili, seeded and finely chopped; 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro; 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice; 2 Tbs. olive oil; Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste; 24 medium shrimp, about 1 lb. total, peeled and deveined; 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter; 1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder; 1 small garlic clove, minced; 4 corn tortillas, each 6 inches in diameter

Why it works: Pepper and lime match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,491 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Pepper + limetop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,491 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Cucumber + limetop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together649 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Pineapple + limetop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together469 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Cucumber + olivetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,611 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).
Onion + cucumbertop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,050 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the pineapple

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, pepper, cucumber, lime, olive, shrimp, butter):

Avocadofits better
Mangofits better
Lemonfits better
Pineapplethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against onion, pepper, cucumber, lime, olive, shrimp, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Corn Tortilla	1 medium flour (45g)	140
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Shrimp	100g cooked	99
Pineapple	1 cup chunks (165g)	82
Cantaloupe	1 cup diced (160g)	53
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Cucumber	1/2 cup sliced (52g)	16
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Clove	1 tsp ground (2g)	7
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Cilantro	1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Shrimp Tacos with Melon-Pineapple Salsa