Mardi Gras Shrimp Scampi

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.

1. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together29,058 recipes

   Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

2. Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together27,047 recipes

   Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

3. Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together14,076 recipes

   Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

4. Mushroom + garlictop 6% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together4,700 recipes

   Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

5. Mushroom + tomatotop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together2,719 recipes

   Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Shrimp

Provides the main protein, which turns pink and firm as it cooks.

Butter

Adds richness and fat, and frozen butter stirred in at the end helps emulsify the sauce.

White wine

Adds acidity and aroma, and helps lift the pan flavors into the sauce.

Garlic

Contributes pungent aroma that mellows as it sautés.

Parmesan cheese

Adds savory, salty flavor and body to the sauce as it melts in.

Fettuccini pasta

Serves as the base that carries the sauce and shrimp.

The step that matters

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (shrimp, butter, mushroom, onion, garlic, tomato, pepper):

1. Avocadofits better
2. Limefits about as well
3. Mangofits about as well
4. Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against shrimp, butter, mushroom, onion, garlic, tomato, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.