Why it works: Tomato and shrimp match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 1,593 recipes mention both. Both carry 3-methylbutanol, which smells malty, whiskey. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: milk, wheat, shellfish (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Prepare the tomatoes
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cut off the tops of the tomatoes and scoop out the centers.
Make the filling
Combine tomato pulp, parsley, salt and onion and mix well.
In a small skillet melt the butter and fry shrimp for a few minutes.
Add tomato mixture then fill tomatoes with this mixture.
Bake and serve
Melt a small amount of butter and stir in bread crumbs.
Dot tops of tomatoes with breadcrumbs and bake for 20 minutes.
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.
-
Tomato + shrimptop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,593 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-methylbutanol (malty, whiskey).
-
Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together34,118 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Butter + breadtop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together27,145 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Tomato + peppertop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together17,913 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + breadtop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,013 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Hollowed out to hold the filling, and their pulp becomes part of the stuffing.
- Shrimp
- Provides the main protein and savory flavor in the filling.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb moisture and, once buttered and baked, form a golden, crisp topping.
- Butter
- Adds richness and helps the breadcrumbs brown and crisp.
The step that matters
Dot tops of tomatoes with breadcrumbs and bake for 20 minutes. Buttered crumbs brown and crisp in the oven, but too little butter leaves them pale and dry. Baking too long can collapse the tomato walls and release excess juice into the filling.
Flavor stand-ins for the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, parsley, shrimp, butter, bread, pepper):
- Capsicumbetter flavor fit
- Potatobetter flavor fit
- Carrotbetter flavor fit
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, parsley, shrimp, butter, bread, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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.
You might also like
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
IllustrationThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.