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 ↓
Argentine Barbecue with Salsa Criolla
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Light a grill or preheat a grill pan.
In a bowl, combine the tomatoes with the onion, bell peppers, garlic, olive oil and cilantro, then season with salt and pepper.
Season the skirt steak with salt and pepper.
Grill and serve
Grill over moderately high heat for about 3 minutes per side, or until lightly charred and medium rare.
Transfer the steak to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes.
Thinly slice the steak on the diagonal and pass the salsa separately.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Bell Pepper | 1 medium (119g) | 31 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Cilantro | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g) | 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.
-
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Tomato + olivetop 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).
-
Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,076 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Skirt steak
- Is the main protein; grilling it quickly gives a charred crust while keeping the inside tender.
- Tomatoes
- Provide juice and fresh acidity that moisten and brighten the salsa criolla.
- Olive oil
- Carries the flavors of the salsa and adds richness to the vegetables.
- Onion
- Adds sharp, pungent flavor and crunch to the raw salsa.
- Bell peppers
- Add crisp texture and grassy sweetness to the raw salsa.
The step that matters
Resting the steak. Resting for 5 minutes lets juices redistribute through the meat instead of running out when it is cut. Slicing too early leaves the steak drier.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, onion, pepper, garlic, olive):
- Cuminfits better
- Thymefits better
- Basilfits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, onion, pepper, garlic, olive. 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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