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Mexican Omelette

A shrimp and salsa omelette cooked with green pepper.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 7 ingredients
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Why it works: Butter and shrimp are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,931 recipes. Both carry 2,6-nonadienal, which smells cucumber, green. The science ↓

Mexican Omelette

Ingredients

Directions

Make the shrimp filling

  1. Heat the salsa over moderate heat in a saucepan.

  2. Add butter, shrimp, salt, and pepper; cook for 2 minutes, stirring lightly.

  3. Stir in mashed green pepper and cook for 1 more minute.

  4. Remove from heat and let it rest.

Cook and serve the omelette

  1. Beat the eggs in a bowl and make an omelette.

  2. Fold one side of the omelette, pour half of the shrimp mixture into the center, and fold the other side over.

  3. Garnish with remaining shrimp and pour the rest of the mixture around the dish before serving.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Butter + shrimptop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,931 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).

  2. Sauce + buttertop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together15,338 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  3. Sauce + shrimptop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together1,423 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  4. Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together118,967 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  5. Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together85,593 recipes

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

Sauce and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 15,338 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

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

What each ingredient does

Eggs
Set when cooked to form the structure of the omelette that holds the filling.
Butter
Adds fat and richness, and helps the eggs and shrimp brown lightly in the pan.
Shrimp
Provides the main protein and savory filling; it is already cooked, so it only needs warming.
Smooth sauce
Adds moisture and tangy, savory flavor to the shrimp mixture.
Green pepper
Adds a mild, fresh vegetal flavor and aroma to the filling.

The step that matters

Fold the omelette while the eggs are still moist. Eggs cook quickly and turn rubbery and dry if overcooked. Folding while the surface is just set keeps the omelette tender, lets it hold the filling, and prevents tearing.

“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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