Why it works: Mustard and tarragon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and 573 recipes mention both. Both carry methyleugenol, which smells clove, spice. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: egg, milk, shellfish (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Mix mustard, lemon juice, vinegar and tarragon, then blend in the mayonnaise.
Add shrimp and sour cream and blend well.
Cover and chill.
This recipe comes from the Recipes Wiki on Fandom and is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Our formatting and summaries are shared under the same licence.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Mustard + tarragontop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together573 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
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Lemon + tarragontop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together884 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Mustard + vinegartop 4% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Vinegar + tarragontop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together1,299 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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White wine + tarragontop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together342 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Mustard and vinegar share little aroma chemistry, yet 14,067 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mayonnaise
- Provides the creamy base and rich body of the dip.
- Sour cream
- Adds tang and a softer, lighter creaminess to the dip.
- Mustard
- Adds sharp flavor and helps the dressing hold together smoothly.
- Fresh tarragon
- Contributes its distinctive aromatic, slightly anise-like flavor.
- Baby shrimp
- Supplies the seafood flavor and small tender pieces throughout the dip.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavors and balances the richness.
The step that matters
Cover and chill. Chilling lets the flavors of the tarragon, mustard, and acid meld together and lets the dip thicken and firm up. Serving it straight away can taste flat and loose.
“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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