Why it works: Corn and tomato match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,099 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Corn Croquettes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the coating
Crush one or two packages of salted crackers by placing them in a baggie and using a rolling pin, or pulse them in a food processor until crushed but not powdered, looking like coarse flour.
Salt and pepper to taste only if using unsalted crackers.
Preheat deep fryer.
Make and fry the croquettes
Once the crackers have been crushed, pour them into a large bowl and add the cream style corn.
Do not add any more salt because there will be plenty from the crackers.
If you use unsalted crackers, then you can season to taste before mixing.
Mix thoroughly until they form a rough dough.
If it is too moist, add more crushed crackers.
Form into small oval shaped croquettes using either two tablespoons or your hands.
Place them carefully into the hot oil, and fry until golden brown, anywhere from 5 to 8 minutes depending on your fryer.
Make the sauce
While the croquettes are frying, prepare the sauce.
Chop onion with a little vegetable oil in a sauce pan until translucent.
Add tomatoes and heat the mixture.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Corn | 1/2 cup kernels (82g) | 77 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| 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.
-
Corn + tomatotop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,099 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Cream + saucetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,787 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Pepper + corntop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,324 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Salted crackers
- Crushed crackers add bulk and structure, absorbing moisture so the corn mixture holds together as a dough.
- Cream style corn
- Supplies moisture and sweetness, binding the crushed crackers into a shapeable mixture.
- Stewed tomatoes
- Provide acidity and liquid body to the sauce.
- Onion
- Softens and sweetens as it cooks in oil, adding aroma to the sauce.
The step that matters
Frying the croquettes. If the dough is too moist, the croquettes can fall apart or fry unevenly, so add more crushed crackers until the mixture holds its shape before frying in hot oil.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, pepper, cream, corn, tomato, sauce):
- Capsicumfits better
- Okrafits better
- Spinachfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, pepper, cream, corn, tomato, 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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