Name: Argentine Ceviche
Ingredients: 1 lb sea scallops or bay scallops, rinsed (if using sea scallops, cut into bite-size pieces); 8 limes, juice of; 1¼ cups chopped onions; ½ cup Spanish olives, pits removed and sliced into quarters; 2 tablespoons olive brine, from jar; 3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped,with juice reserved; 1 (14 ounces) bottle Heinz® hot ketchup (or 1¾ cups plain ketchup mixed with 1 tablespoon dried red pepper flakes); 1 tablespoon crumbled dried oregano

Why it works: Olive and tomato 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 ↓

Argentine Ceviche

Time3 hours

Ingredients

1 lb sea scallops or bay scallops, rinsed (if using sea scallops, cut into bite-size pieces)
8 limes, juice of
1¼ cups chopped onions
½ cup Spanish olives, pits removed and sliced into quarters
2 tablespoons olive brine, from jar
3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped,with juice reserved
1 (14 ounces) bottle Heinz® hot ketchup (or 1¾ cups plain ketchup mixed with 1 tablespoon dried red pepper flakes)
1 tablespoon crumbled dried oregano

Directions

Marinate the scallops

In a glass or ceramic bowl, cover the scallops with the lime juice.
Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Make the sauce

Meanwhile, combine all of the remaining ingredients in a separate nonreactive bowl.
Cover the sauce and keep at room temperature.

Combine and chill

When the scallops are "cooked," drain in a colander.
Rinse under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
Add the scallops to the sauce, mix well.
Cover and refrigerate overnight until ready to serve.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

193Calories

27 gProtein

2 gFat

21 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Shrimp	100g cooked	99
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Oregano	1 tsp dried (1.8g)	5
Olive	1 large (4g)	4

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.

Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,539 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Tomato + oreganotop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,767 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Lime + oreganotop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together291 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Olive + oreganotop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,443 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Lime + tomatotop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,878 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

Sea scallops or bay scallops: Provide the protein that the lime juice firms and turns opaque during marinating.
Limes: Lime juice acidity cooks the scallops' surface proteins, giving the ceviche its tender, firm texture.
Onions: Add sharp flavor and crunch that cut through the acidic, rich sauce.
Tomatoes: Add moisture and sweetness to the sauce, along with their reserved juice.
Ketchup: Provides sweetness, body and tang to the sauce base.
Spanish olives: Add salty, briny flavor and a firm bite to the sauce.

The step that matters

Rinsing and drying the scallops before combining. Draining, rinsing and patting the scallops dry removes excess lime juice and surface liquid, so the sauce stays thick and the scallops keep a firm texture rather than turning watery or overly acidic.

Swap the oregano

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (scallop, lime, onion, olive, tomato, ketchup):

Garlicfits better
Thymefits better
Celeryfits better
Oreganothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against scallop, lime, onion, olive, tomato, ketchup. 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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Argentine Ceviche