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Watermelon Summer Salsa

A fresh salsa made with watermelon, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, and a pinch of brown sugar.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Lime and jalapeno are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,035 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓

Watermelon Summer Salsa

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Mix diced watermelon, chopped red onion and cilantro, lime juice, minced jalapeno pepper, and brown sugar.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

155Calories
3 gProtein
0 gFat
39 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Watermelon1 cup diced (152g)46
Red Onion1 medium (110g)44
Limejuice of 1 lime (44ml)11
Jalapeno Pepper1 pepper (14g)4
Cilantro1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)1

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.

  1. Lime + jalapenotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,035 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  2. Lime + peppertop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,491 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together68,474 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Onion + limetop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,263 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  5. Onion + jalapenotop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,250 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

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

What each ingredient does

Watermelon
Provides the bulk of the juicy, sweet body of the salsa.
Red onion
Adds sharp pungency that cuts through the sweetness of the fruit.
Lime juice
Adds acidity that brightens the flavors and balances the sugar.
Jalapeno pepper
Adds heat and a fresh, grassy bite.

Swap the onion

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

  1. Sweet potatofits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Kalefits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against lime, jalapeno, pepper, 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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