Name: Shrimp Toast I
Ingredients: 1/2 lb (225 g) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined; 1 egg white; 1 Tbs (15 ml) cornstarch (corn flour); 1/2 tsp (2 ml) sugar; Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste; 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 scallion (spring onion), green and white parts, finely chopped; 1 narrow loaf French bread (baguette); 1 cup vegetable oil; Small bunch fresh flat leaf parsley

Why it works: Pepper and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,451 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓

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.

Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together17,451 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Pepper + garlictop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together27,090 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Clove + garlictop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together11,368 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Shrimp + garlictop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,743 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
Corn + peppertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked 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

Raw shrimp: Forms the main filling, giving the toast its savoury, bouncy body once puréed and cooked.
Egg white: Binds the shrimp paste so it holds together and stays on the bread while frying.
Cornstarch: Thickens the shrimp paste and helps it stay moist and tender during frying.
French bread: Provides the crisp, absorbent base that holds the paste and browns in the hot oil.
Vegetable oil: Conducts heat to fry the toasts, creating a golden, crisp surface and a cooked-through filling.

The step that matters

Frying the toasts in hot oil. The oil must be near 375°F (190°C); if it is cooler, the bread soaks up oil and turns greasy, and if hotter, the outside browns before the shrimp paste cooks through.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (shrimp, egg, corn, flour, sugar, pepper, garlic):

Jalapenofits better
Turmericfits better
Cuminfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against shrimp, egg, corn, flour, sugar, pepper, garlic. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Shrimp	100g cooked	99
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Corn	1/2 cup kernels (82g)	77
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Black 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

Shrimp Toast I

Shrimp Toast I

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the shrimp paste

Assemble the toasts

Fry and serve

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)