Shrimp Pie, Excellent

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. Mace + clovetop 6% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together8,400 recipes

   Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).

2. Butter + white winetop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together5,083 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

3. Shrimp + buttertop 11% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together2,931 recipes

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

4. Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together124,287 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

5. Clove + white winetop 14% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together1,715 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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

Shrimps

Form the main body of the pie and provide its savoury flavour.

Anchovies

Add a salty, savoury depth that seasons the shrimps.

Flour

Forms the thin paste that covers the dish and sets as it bakes.

Sharp white wine

Adds acidity that brightens the shrimp flavour.

Swap the mace

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (shrimp, clove, butter, white wine, flour):

1. Cinnamonfits better
2. Nutmegfits better
3. Thymefits better
4. Macethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against shrimp, clove, butter, white wine, flour. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.