Name: Smoked Yellow Pepper Vinaigrette
Ingredients: 2 yellow bell peppers, cold smoked, peeled, and seeded; ½ canned chipotle; ¼ medium red onion, coarsely chopped; 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice; ¼ cup olive oil; 1 teaspoon sugar; salt; freshly ground black pepper

Why it works: Pepper and lime match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,491 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Smoked Yellow Pepper Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Directions

In a blender, combine the peppers, chipotle, onion, and lime juice and blend.
While the blender is still running, slowly add the olive oil until emulsified.
Add the sugar and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

268Calories

3 gProtein

14 gFat

35 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 8 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Yellow Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

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.

Pepper + limetop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,491 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Lime + olivetop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,621 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Onion + olivetop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together29,779 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together68,474 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Pepper + olivetop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together30,263 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

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

What each ingredient does

Yellow bell peppers: Provide the main body, sweetness, and smoky flavor of the vinaigrette.
Chipotle: Adds smoky heat that complements the sweet peppers.
Lime juice: Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the sweetness.
Olive oil: Adds fat that, emulsified into the blend, gives the vinaigrette a smooth, creamy body.

The step that matters

Adding the olive oil slowly while blending. Oil must be added in a thin, steady stream while the blender runs so the droplets disperse and stay suspended. Adding it too fast lets the oil separate out instead of forming a stable emulsion.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, lime, olive, sugar):

Capsicumfits better
Sweet potatofits better
Tomatofits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, lime, olive, sugar. 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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Smoked Yellow Pepper Vinaigrette