Why it works: Potato and shrimp match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and 407 recipes mention both. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: milk, wheat, shellfish (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Make the microwave base
Combine onion, potato and butter in 2-quart microwave-proof dish.
Microwave at high 4 minutes.
Add flour; stir to blend.
Gradually stir in water; microwave at high 3 minutes.
Add milk; microwave at high 1 minute.
Stir in shrimp, peas, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
Microwave at high 3 to 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Stovetop method
Saute onion and potato in butter about 5 minutes.
Stir in flour; cook 1 minute.
Simmer until potatoes are barely tender.
Stir in milk and heat.
Add shrimp, peas, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
This recipe comes from the Recipes Wiki on Fandom and is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Our formatting and summaries are shared under the same licence.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Potato + shrimptop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together407 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Onion + potatotop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together9,019 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Butter + milktop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together81,222 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Potato + parsleytop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,855 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Potato + milktop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together3,611 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potato
- Softens as it cooks and thickens the soup body with its starch.
- Flour
- Thickens the broth into a smooth, creamy soup base when cooked briefly.
- Shrimp
- Provides the main protein and sweet, briny flavor; it turns opaque when heated through.
- Milk
- Adds body, creaminess and mild sweetness to the broth.
- Butter
- Carries flavor and softens the onion and potato before the liquid goes in.
The step that matters
Stir in the flour and cook it briefly. Flour must be cooked for a minute or so after it is added, or the thickened soup will taste raw and starchy. Stirring prevents lumps as it hydrates.
Flavor stand-ins for the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, potato, butter, flour, milk, shrimp, peas):
- Garlicbetter flavor fit
- Celeryabout as good a flavor fit
- Gingerabout as good a flavor fit
- Parsleythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against onion, potato, butter, flour, milk, shrimp, peas. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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.
You might also like
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
IllustrationThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.