Half-hour Paella

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.

1. Rice + saffrontop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together629 recipes

   Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

2. Clam + shrimptop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together160 recipes

   Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

3. Rice + chickentop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together4,769 recipes

   Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).

4. Onion + celerytop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together18,518 recipes

   Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

5. Celery + ricetop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together2,169 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

Uncooked rice

Absorbs the broth and saffron liquid as it cooks, becoming tender and forming the base of the dish.

Saffron

Gives the rice its golden colour and a distinctive aroma.

Chicken broth

Cooks the rice and carries the flavour of the dish through the grains.

Minced clams

Add a briny seafood flavour, and their reserved liquid is used to cook the rice.

Chicken pieces

Add savoury richness and a meaty texture to the finished dish.

Shrimp

Add sweetness and a tender seafood texture when cooked briefly at the end.

The step that matters

Swap the saffron

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, celery, butter, rice, chicken, clam, shrimp):

1. Garlicfits better
2. Parsleyfits better
3. Thymefits better
4. Saffronthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against onion, celery, butter, rice, chicken, clam, shrimp. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.