Why it works: Garlic and onion 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 ↓
Camarão De Coco
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the shrimp
Clean and shell the shrimp if necessary.
Heat butter in a heavy skillet over moderate heat.
Quickly cook the shrimp until they are a rich golden pink.
Remove the shrimp from the pan with a slotted spoon.
Make the sauce
In the same butter, sauté the garlic, onion, parsley, and chilies for 2–3 minutes.
Add the salt, cumin, and tomatoes and cook until the mixture thickens slightly, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
Reduce heat to low, return shrimp to the pan, and add the coconut milk.
Stir until shrimp is heated through.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 12 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Coconut | 1/2 cup shredded (40g) | 283 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Shrimp | 100g cooked | 99 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Cumin | 1 tsp ground (2.1g) | 8 |
| Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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.
-
Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,082 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Parsley + cumintop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together821 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
-
Clove + cumintop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,306 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Shrimp
- Forms the main protein, turning golden pink when seared quickly in butter.
- Coconut milk
- Adds richness and moisture, creating a creamy sauce that coats the shrimp.
- Butter
- Carries the aromatics and browns the shrimp, adding rich flavour to the pan.
- Tomatoes
- Adds acidity and body, helping the sauce thicken slightly as it cooks.
- Garlic
- Provides pungent aroma that mellows as it cooks in the butter.
The step that matters
Stirring the tomato mixture constantly. Tomato sugars and minced aromatics scorch easily over heat, so constant stirring prevents burning and keeps the sauce tasting fresh rather than bitter.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (shrimp, butter, garlic, onion, parsley, pepper, cumin):
- Thymefits better
- Oreganofits better
- Corianderfits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against shrimp, butter, garlic, onion, parsley, pepper, cumin. 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.
You might also like
The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Cream of Tomato Soup107 recipes
Tomato Bisque61 recipes
Cream Tomato Soup28 recipes