Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Shrimp Paste

Unlock the perfect flavour pairings for shrimp paste according to data science. Explore unique recipes and discover the hidden mathematics of flavour.

Shrimp paste conjures the embrace of sea urchin and the kiss of sardine. But look beneath its obvious saltiness and you'll discover a captivating symphony of softer notes, a whisper of brine, a hint of kombu dashi, and subtle accents reminiscent of prosciutto, contributing remarkable depth. Understanding how these layered flavours work together is the secret to unlocking truly exceptional pairings.

To chart these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, each deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, pinpointing the notes that best complement this ingredient’s profile. Our findings reveal, for instance, how basil's linalool tones can awaken shrimp paste, or how pea's hexenal notes create an unexpectedly harmonious bridge with the salty character.

An ingredient's flavour stems from its core characteristics, such as maillard, acidic, or sweet, combined with layers of subtle flavour notes (outer bars). For a balanced dish, pair ingredients with a variety of core flavours, and choose complementary aroma notes for harmony.

Unlocking Flavour Combinations

To understand how flavour notes harmonise, we analysed more than 50,000 popular ingredient combinations. By exploring these pairings, we identified specific flavour notes that frequently occur together, indicating they share a harmonious relationship.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Saline Notes

Our analysis reveals a strong connection between brine and cut grass flavours. Since shrimp paste has a distinct briney flavour, try pairing it with the grassy flavours of pea.

The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing shrimp paste with pea.

Harmonious Flavours Of Shrimp Paste

Just as our analysis indicated that brine and grassy notes harmonise, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour notes present in shrimp paste. For instance, the glutamic notes of shrimp paste are strongly associated with bay leaf and sage-like notes.

The notes associated with the various accents of shrimp paste can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of basil offers many of the aroma accents complementary to shrimp paste, including basil and clove notes. Because the flavour profile of basil has many of the features that are complementary to shrimp paste, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of basil across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with shrimp paste.

Recipes That Pair Shrimp Paste With Basil

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the aromas that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of shrimp paste, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of shrimp paste, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the notes complementary to shrimp paste.

What To Drink With Shrimp Paste

The rice notes in genmaicha tea make it a perfect pairing with shrimp paste. Likewise, the grassy flavours in sauvignon blanc (loire valley) create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of shrimp paste below.

Which Vegetables Go With Shrimp Paste?

Choose vegetables that awaken its sulfurousness or lift its salty character. Bamboo shoot offers vibrant, clean counterpoints, its verdant freshness lifting the palate. Green bean add a gentle, oniony brightness, while lettuce introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace vegetables that harmonise with shrimp paste's sulfurousness. The addition of bean sprouts, with its subtle starchy notes, can complement the boiled egg beautifully. Carrot bridges earthiness and citrus zest, while long-stem broccoli lends a fresh aroma.

How Flavonomics Works

We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Shrimp paste), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.