Why it works: Lemon and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,047 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Crab Salad I
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the crabs
Pour water into a casserole; add half a coffee cup of white wine and aromatic herbs and bring to the boil.
Add the crabs and cook for about 10 minutes (depending on size).
Remove from heat and leave to cool.
Dress and serve
Strain well, remove the shells and scoop out the flesh into a bowl.
Add the rest of the crab flesh, onion, garlic, tomato, basil and sprinkle with the rest of the wine, olive oil and lemon juice.
Leave to marinate for 10 minutes.
Add mayonnaise, salt, pepper and mix well.
Serve cold.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 9 of 10 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Shrimp | 100g cooked | 99 |
| Crab | 100g cooked | 97 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Green Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Wine | 2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml) | 25 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Coffee | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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.
-
Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Lemon + tomatotop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,592 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Lemon + white winetop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,832 recipes
Shared aroma: myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Crabs
- Provide the main cooked meat that forms the body of the salad.
- Mayonnaise
- Adds fat and creaminess, binding the crab flesh into a smooth, rich dressing.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and balances the richness of the mayonnaise.
- White wine
- Flavours the cooking liquid and adds a light acidic aroma to the crab.
- Tomato
- Adds moisture and mild acidity, keeping the salad fresh and juicy.
The step that matters
Cooking the crabs for about 10 minutes. Crab meat is protein, and overcooking tightens its fibres, making the flesh dry and stringy. Size varies, so check the crabs early and remove them once the meat turns opaque and firm.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (crab, lemon, tomato, coffee, white wine, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against crab, lemon, tomato, coffee, white wine, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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