Why it works: Orange and lime match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 937 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓
Beef Tassot
Ingredients
Directions
Marinate and simmer
Combine the beef cubes, orange juice, and lime juice in a large bowl. Let stand covered at room temperature, stirring occasionally, for 4 hours.
Transfer the meat mixture to a medium saucepan; add water to cover. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat.
Simmer covered until the meat is very tender, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, make Sauce Ti Malice.
Drain the beef; pat dry.
Fry and serve
Heat 1 ½ inches of oil in a large skillet to 375 °F.
Fry the beef, half at a time, in the oil until crisp and golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels; sprinkle with coarse salt.
Serve Tassot with Sauce Ti Malice.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Orange | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Lime | juice of 1 lime (44ml) | 11 |
| 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.
-
Orange + limetop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together937 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Beef + orangetop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together960 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
-
Beef + limetop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together539 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Beef + saucetop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,650 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Lime + saucetop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,023 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Boneless beef round steak
- Becomes tender through simmering and forms the crisp-fried, meaty core of the dish.
- Orange juice
- Acidic juice that marinates the beef, adding tang and helping soften its surface.
- Lime juice
- Acidic juice that marinates the beef, adding sharp citrus flavor and tenderizing its surface.
The step that matters
Drying the beef before frying. Surface moisture must be removed after simmering so the beef can crisp and brown in hot oil instead of steaming and spattering.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, lime, sauce):
- Avocadofits better
- Mangofits better
- Coconutfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, lime, sauce. 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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