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 ↓
Salmorejo De Jueyes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
Sauté all ingredients except the crabmeat over medium heat for about two minutes, stirring continuously.
Add the crabmeat, stir, and cook, covered, for 15 minutes over low heat.
Stir and let stand for a few minutes, covered.
Serve
Serve garnished with slices of red pepper and sweet peas.
Have lemon or orange slices handy for those who like to add a squeeze.
Serve with Guineos Verdes (stewed green bananas) or Tostones (fried green plantains).
Serve with pasta.
Use as filling for cannelloni.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 10 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Wine | 2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml) | 25 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Olive | 1 large (4g) | 4 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Sauce | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | 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.
-
Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,539 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Garlic + olivetop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,665 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,076 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Crabmeat
- Provides the main protein and seafood flavor of the dish.
- Tomato sauce
- Supplies moisture and acidity that form the body of the sauce.
- Olive or cooking oil
- Carries the aromatics and adds richness to the sauce.
- Onion
- Builds a sweet, savory base when sautéed with the garlic.
- Garlic
- Adds pungent aroma that mellows as it cooks.
The step that matters
Cooking the crabmeat covered over low heat. Crabmeat is already cooked or delicate, so gentle, covered heat keeps it tender and moist while the sauce flavors it. Higher heat can toughen the meat and reduce the liquid too quickly.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (garlic, olive, pepper, sauce, tomato, white wine):
- Capsicumfits better
- Eggplantfits about as well
- Spinachfits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against garlic, olive, pepper, sauce, tomato, white wine. 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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