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Stuffed Crabs

A baked dish of crabmeat mixed with tomatoes, coconut milk, and herbs, topped with breadcrumbs and Parmesan.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Olive and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,539 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Stuffed Crabs

Time15–20 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the filling

  1. Heat olive oil and sauté onions until soft.

  2. Stir in crabmeat for 3–5 minutes.

  3. Add tomatoes and simmer for 5–8 minutes.

  4. Add coconut milk, salt, pepper, and palm oil, cooking for 3–5 minutes.

  5. Remove from heat, add flour in small quantities, stirring continually.

  6. Bring the pan back to heat, cooking until a cream forms.

  7. Stir in parsley and green onions. Remove from heat.

Fill and bake

  1. Fill the shells or oven-proof dishes with the mixture.

  2. Top with breadcrumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese.

  3. Bake for 15–20 minutes or until lightly brown.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1250Calories
73 gProtein
50 gFat
128 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Coconut1/2 cup shredded (40g)283
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Scallop100g cooked111
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Shrimp100g cooked99
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 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 Wikibooks Cookbook.

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. Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,539 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  2. Olive + parsleytop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together9,649 recipes

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

  3. Olive + coconuttop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,672 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  4. Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,633 recipes

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

  5. Tomato + parsleytop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,398 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

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

What each ingredient does

Crabmeat
Forms the main body of the filling and provides its flavor.
Flour
Added to the hot mixture to thicken the coconut milk and tomatoes into a cream.
Coconut milk
Adds moisture and richness to the filling, softening its texture.
Tomatoes
Add moisture and acidity, cooking down into the filling's sauce.
Parmesan cheese
Browns on top during baking, adding savory flavor and a golden crust.
Bread crumbs
Form a crisp topping that browns in the oven.

The step that matters

Adding the flour. Flour must be stirred in gradually, off the heat, so it disperses evenly without lumps. Adding it all at once or over heat can clump, leaving a grainy cream instead of a smooth, thickened filling.

Swap the coconut

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, tomato, milk, parsley, onion, flour, bread):

  1. Avocadofits better
  2. Cherryfits better
  3. Lemonfits better
  4. Coconutthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, tomato, milk, parsley, onion, flour, bread. 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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