Name: Harlequin Shrimp
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice; salt; freshly ground black pepper; 24 large cold water shrimp, cooked and de-veined; 1 large green pepper, de-seeded and finely diced; 1 large red pepper, de-seeded and finely diced; 1 bunch fresh chives, snipped; fresh dill or fresh chervil or fresh parsley

Why it works: Lemon and dill match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 976 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Harlequin Shrimp

Ingredients

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt
freshly ground black pepper
24 large cold water shrimp, cooked and de-veined
1 large green pepper, de-seeded and finely diced
1 large red pepper, de-seeded and finely diced
1 bunch fresh chives, snipped
fresh dill or fresh chervil or fresh parsley

Directions

Make the dressing

In a small saucepan, put olive oil and lemon juice.
When warm enough (do not let mixture boil), add seasoning.

Dress and serve

Add in shrimp and toss for a few minutes.
Arrange shrimp on platter.
Sprinkle with pepper and chives.
Place sprigs of fresh herbs all around.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

281Calories

27 gProtein

15 gFat

14 gCarbs

Counts 10 of 12 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 10 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Shrimp	100g cooked	99
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Dill	5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried	4
Chives	1 tbsp (3g)	1
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0
Chervil	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.

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.

Lemon + dilltop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together976 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together27,047 recipes

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

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,630 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Chive + dilltop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together228 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Olive + chivetop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,633 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

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

What each ingredient does

Extra virgin olive oil: Carries the flavour and gives the dressing a smooth, rich body that coats the shrimp.
Lemon juice: Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the richness of the oil.
Cold water shrimp: Main protein; already cooked, so they only need to be warmed and coated.
Green pepper: Adds fresh, crisp texture and a mild, grassy sweetness to the platter.
Red pepper: Adds crisp texture and sweetness, with colour contrast against the green pepper.

The step that matters

Warming the dressing without boiling. Heating olive oil and lemon juice gently keeps the oil from scorching and the flavours fresh. If it boils, the oil can taste bitter and the dressing can separate.

Swap the chive

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, lemon, pepper, shrimp, dill):

Capsicumfits better
Spinachfits about as well
Tomatofits about as well
Chivethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, lemon, pepper, shrimp, dill. 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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Harlequin Shrimp