Name: Canteloupe Salsa
Ingredients: ½ cantaloupe (large, ripe); ¾ cup red bell pepper, finely diced; ¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped; 3 Tbsp scallions, finely chopped; Juice of 1 lime; Pinch of salt and hot pepper flakes

Why it works: Pepper and lime match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,491 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Canteloupe Salsa

Ingredients

½ cantaloupe (large, ripe)
¾ cup red bell pepper, finely diced
¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
3 Tbsp scallions, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch of salt and hot pepper flakes

Directions

Prepare

Remove seeds and rind from cantaloupe. (You should have approximately ½ pound cantaloupe flesh.)
Chop cantaloupe into very small dice and put in a bowl.

Make the salsa

Add diced red pepper, cilantro, scallions and lime juice, then stir.
Add a pinch of salt and pepper flakes.
Chill.

Serve

Serve with grilled chicken, fish or steaks.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

146Calories

4 gProtein

1 gFat

34 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Cantaloupe	1 cup diced (160g)	53
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
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.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

Pepper + limetop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,491 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Cantaloupe: Provides the sweet, juicy base that forms most of the salsa's bulk and flavour.
Red bell pepper: Adds crisp texture and mild sweetness that contrasts with the soft melon.
Lime juice: Adds acidity that brightens the sweet fruit and keeps the salsa tasting fresh.

“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.