Why it works: Lime and mexican oregano share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Salsa Colorado
Ingredients
Directions
Place tomato sauce in a small bowl and add the remaining ingredients.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Lime | juice of 1 lime (44ml) | 11 |
| Cumin | 1 tsp ground (2.1g) | 8 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Mexican Oregano | 1 tsp dried (1.8g) | 5 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Cider | 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.
-
Lime + mexican oreganotop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Mexican oregano + garlictop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together85 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,076 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Mexican oregano + clovetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together19 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Cider + vinegartop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,431 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Whole tomato sauce
- Provides the liquid base and body of the salsa.
- Chile pequin
- Supplies the heat that gives the salsa its main kick.
- Lime juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavors and balances the heat.
- Cider vinegar
- Adds sharp acidity that sharpens the overall flavor.
- Garlic
- Contributes pungent aroma and savory depth.
The step that matters
Taste and adjust seasonings. Acid, heat and salt levels shift as the ingredients meld, and chile heat varies between batches. Tasting before serving lets you correct balance, since adding more chile or acid late is easy but cannot be undone once overdone.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, sauce, lime, cider, vinegar, mexican oregano, garlic):
- Cuminfits better
- Corianderfits better
- Jalapenofits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, sauce, lime, cider, vinegar, mexican oregano, 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.
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