Why it works: Tomato and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,539 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
Grilled Scallops in Sun-dried Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
Julienne the sun-dried tomatoes.
Add olive oil to a hot skillet and sauté the shallots and tomatoes until the shallots are translucent.
Add heavy cream and Boursin cheese, then stir in salt and pepper and reduce the sauce until thickened. Remove from heat.
Grill and serve
Toss the scallops with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Grill the scallops until the centers are no longer translucent.
Place the sauce on the bottom of each plate and top it with the grilled scallops.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Shrimp | 100g cooked | 99 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| 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.
-
Tomato + olivetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,539 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Lemon + shallottop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,523 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Lemon + olivetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,922 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sea scallops
- Form the main protein, cooking to a tender texture when grilled until just opaque.
- Heavy whipping cream
- Adds moisture and richness, helping the sauce become smooth and creamy as it reduces.
- Boursin cheese
- Adds fat and savory flavor, and helps thicken the sauce as it melts into the cream.
- Sun dried tomatoes
- Contribute concentrated, tangy-sweet tomato flavor to the sauce.
- Shallots
- Provide a mild, sweet onion aroma when softened in the oil.
The step that matters
Reducing the sauce until thickened. Cream and cheese can split or stay thin if overheated or undercooked. Gentle simmering reduces water and lets the cheese emulsify smoothly into a thick sauce.
Swap the shallot
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (scallop, lemon, tomato, cheese, cream, pepper, olive):
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits better
- Potatofits better
- Shallotthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against scallop, lemon, tomato, cheese, cream, pepper, 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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