Name: Camarão Ao Catupiry
Ingredients: 2 lbs of fresh shrimp (medium or small size); 1 Catupiry cheese or 1 lb of Philly; 1 can of hearts of palm, thinly sliced into rounds; 4 large, juicy tomatoes; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1/2 cup milk; 2 tbsp of finely chopped parsley; 2 tbsp of finely chopped green onions; 1 tbsp of corn starch; salt and pepper; 10-15 whole peppercorns; Parmesan cheese to sprinkle; lime juice

Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and 34,122 recipes mention both. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

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.

Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together34,122 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Tomato + corntop 6% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together2,099 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together17,923 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together20,633 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Tomato + parsleytop 8% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together5,398 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

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

What each ingredient does

Shrimp: Forms the main body of the dish and provides the seafood flavour and protein.
Catupiry cheese: Melts into a creamy, rich layer that binds the dish and gives it a mild tang.
Tomatoes: Supply moisture and acidity that form the base of the sauce.
Corn starch: Thickens the sauce so it clings to the shrimp rather than running thin.
Milk: Adds creaminess and moisture, combining with the cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
Hearts of palm: Adds a tender, mild texture that contrasts with the soft shrimp and sauce.

The step that matters

Simmer the shrimp gently and stir in the cornstarch mixture briefly. Cornstarch thickens only when heated enough to swell its granules, and shrimp turns tough and rubbery if overcooked. Keeping the simmer gentle and the stir short keeps the sauce smooth and the shrimp tender.

Flavor stand-ins for the parsley

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (shrimp, cheese, tomato, onion, milk, corn, pepper):

Garlicbetter flavor fit
Celerybetter flavor fit
Cuminbetter flavor fit
Parsleythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against shrimp, cheese, tomato, onion, milk, corn, pepper. 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.

Camarão Ao Catupiry