Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓
New Orleans Fish Creole
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
Cook onion, celery and garlic in butter in large skillet over medium heat until tender crisp.
Stir in salt, curry powder, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce; bring to a boil.
Simmer and serve
Add fish and green pepper.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer 25 to 30 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with fork.
Serve over hot rice.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 12 of 13 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 12 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Salmon | 100g cooked | 208 |
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Green Bell Pepper | 1 medium (119g) | 31 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Turmeric | 1 tsp ground (3g) | 9 |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp (15ml) | 9 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Sauce | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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 their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,076 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Celery + tomatotop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,377 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 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
- Fish fillets
- Provide the main protein, which flakes into tender pieces as it simmers in the sauce.
- Tomato sauce
- Forms the base of the sauce and adds moisture, body and gentle acidity.
- Onion
- Softens during cooking and adds savory sweetness to the sauce base.
- Celery
- Softens during cooking and adds savory, aromatic depth to the sauce base.
- Curry powder
- Adds warm, aromatic spice that flavors the sauce.
- Green bell pepper
- Softens while simmering and adds a fresh, vegetal flavor to the sauce.
The step that matters
Simmer until the fish flakes. Fish cooks quickly and turns dry and rubbery if overcooked, so it should be checked with a fork and removed once it flakes easily.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, celery, garlic, butter, tomato, sauce, pepper):
- Parsleyfits better
- Thymefits better
- Cuminfits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against onion, celery, garlic, butter, tomato, sauce, pepper. 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.
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