Name: Gambas Al Ajillo
Ingredients: 1 lb. 20 large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined; 4 tablespoons virgin olive oil; 8 cloves of garlic, crushed; 1/4 cup chopped Flat leaf parsley; 1 whole dried chili pepper, crushed (Guindillas or peperoncini); Sprinkle of salt, to taste; Fresh ground black pepper; Juice from one lemon; 1/2 cup white wine

Why it works: Parsley and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Gambas Al Ajillo

Ingredients

1 lb. 20 large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 tablespoons virgin olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/4 cup chopped Flat leaf parsley
1 whole dried chili pepper, crushed (Guindillas or peperoncini)
Sprinkle of salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper
Juice from one lemon
1/2 cup white wine

Directions

Cook the shrimp

Heat the olive oil on medium‑high in a large frying pan.
Add the fresh shrimp and fry for a few minutes until lightly browned.

Add the aromatics and liquids

Add the garlic, chili, salt, and black pepper, and sauté for another minute over high heat.
Add the fresh lemon juice, white wine, and another generous splash of olive oil.
Sauté until the shrimp is fully cooked and the liquid is slightly reduced for another minute.

Serve

Garnish with parsley and serve with rustic bread to soak up the lemony olive oil.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

281Calories

25 gProtein

15 gFat

10 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 10 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Shrimp	100g cooked	99
Wine	2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)	25
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
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
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,037 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together34,122 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,665 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together27,047 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Garlic + parsleytop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,308 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

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

What each ingredient does

Shrimp: Provides the main protein, which firms and turns opaque as it cooks.
Virgin olive oil: Carries the heat and flavour of the garlic and chili, and gives the pan sauce its body.
Garlic: Adds pungent aroma that mellows and sweetens as it cooks in the oil.
White wine: Adds acidity and depth, and reduces slightly to form a light sauce.
Lemon juice: Adds bright acidity that balances the rich olive oil.

The step that matters

Sauté until the shrimp is fully cooked and the liquid is slightly reduced. Shrimp turn rubbery when overcooked, and they go from translucent to opaque quickly once cooked through. Pull them off the heat as soon as they are opaque, since residual heat keeps cooking them.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (shrimp, olive, garlic, parsley, pepper, lemon, white wine):

Thymefits better
Basilfits better
Fennelfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against shrimp, olive, garlic, parsley, pepper, lemon, white wine. 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.