Why it works: Shallot and capers match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 405 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Sauce Tartare
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise dressing, shallot, capers, gherkins, chives, parsley, and tarragon. Mix thoroughly until well combined.
Chill the sauce before serving.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
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.
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Shallot + caperstop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together405 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Shallot + chivetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together450 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Shallot + tarragontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together602 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Capers + chivetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together245 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Capers + tarragontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together379 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mayonnaise dressing
- Forms the creamy base that carries the other ingredients and gives the sauce its richness.
- Capers
- Add a sharp, briny acidity that cuts through the richness of the mayonnaise.
- Gherkins
- Contribute tangy acidity and a crisp texture that balances the creamy base.
- Shallot
- Adds a mild, sharp onion flavour that lifts the sauce.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (shallot, capers, chive, tarragon):
- Parsleythe original
- Fennelfits about as well
- Thymefits less well
- Dillfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against shallot, capers, chive, tarragon. 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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