Name: California Avocado-Citrus Tamales with Roasted Pepper and Chipotle Pesto
Ingredients: 4 Cups prepared masa (Prepared masa is sold at Mexican markets and some grocery stores); ½ Tbsp cayenne; 2 Tbsp tangerine zest, grated; ¼ Cup pine nuts; 8 corn husks, soaked until soft; 1 avocado, sliced into 8 even pieces; For Pesto; 2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded; 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar; 2 Tbsp water; 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 2 Tbsp canned chipotle chilies; 1 oz pine nuts; 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped; Salt, to taste; To Serve; 4 corn husks; 2 avocados, peeled and halved; Tangerine zest; Red bell pepper, julienned

Why it works: Pine and avocado share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 36 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.

Pine + avocadotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together36 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Corn + avocadotop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together444 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Pine + peppertop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together687 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Corn + peppertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,324 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
White wine + vinegartop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,776 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

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

What each ingredient does

Prepared masa: Forms the tender, starchy dough that wraps and holds the filling together.
Pine nuts: Add rich fat and a mild, toasty crunch to the masa and pesto.
Avocado: Adds creamy fat and moisture that keeps the filling soft during steaming.
Red bell peppers: Provide sweetness and body to the pesto once roasted and blended.
Extra virgin olive oil: Adds fat and smooth texture to the pesto, carrying its flavor.
White wine vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the pesto and balances the rich avocado.

The step that matters

Steaming the tamales. Steam over boiling water, covered, for the full hour so the masa cooks through and firms. Lifting the lid or letting the water drop lowers the heat and can leave the dough dense or gummy.

Swap the tangerine

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pine, nuts, corn, avocado, pepper, white wine, vinegar):

Limefits better
Lemonfits better
Cherryfits better
Tangerinethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pine, nuts, corn, avocado, pepper, white wine, vinegar. 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
Avocado	1 medium (150g)	240
Pine Nut	1 oz (28g)	191
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Corn	1/2 cup kernels (82g)	77
Red Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Cayenne	1 tsp (1.8g)	6
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Cilantro	1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Tangerine	not in our table	0
Water	not in our table	0

California Avocado-Citrus Tamales with Roasted Pepper and Chipotle Pesto