Name: Alaska Cod Corn Tortilla Soup
Ingredients: 1/2 cup onions chopped; 1 x garlic clove minced; 1 tbl butter; 1 tsp dried oregano; 3/4 tsp ground cumin; 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes or to taste; 1 can low-salt chicken broth - (14 1/2 oz); 1 can whole peeled tomatoes - (14 1/2 oz) coarsely chopped; 2/3 cup frozen corn kernels; 4 x cod fillets - (5 oz ea); Chopped cilantro for garnish; Tortilla strips

Why it works: Oregano and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 983 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. 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.

Oregano + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together983 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,082 recipes

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

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,756 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Clove + cumintop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,306 recipes

Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

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

What each ingredient does

Cod fillets: Provides the flaky, delicate protein that cooks gently in the simmering broth.
Onions: Soften and turn sweet when sauteed, building the base flavor of the soup.
Garlic clove: Releases aroma when sauteed in butter, adding savory depth to the broth.
Whole peeled tomatoes: Add acidity and liquid, giving the broth its body and tang.
Chicken broth: Forms the liquid base that carries the flavors and gently cooks the fish.
Frozen corn kernels: Add sweetness and a tender bite to the soup.

The step that matters

Simmering the cod. Fish is delicate and overcooks quickly, becoming dry and tough once the proteins tighten. Simmering gently and checking for a fork-flake keeps it moist and tender.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, garlic, butter, oregano, cumin, pepper, chicken):

Thymefits better
Turmericfits better
Parsleyfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against onion, garlic, butter, oregano, cumin, pepper, chicken. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Salmon	100g cooked	208
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Tortilla	1 medium flour (45g)	140
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Corn	1/2 cup kernels (82g)	77
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Clove	1 tsp ground (2g)	7
Oregano	1 tsp dried (1.8g)	5
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Cilantro	1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)	1

Alaska Cod Corn Tortilla Soup