Mexican · Authentic-ish Mexican
Camarones a la Diabla
350 kcal a serving, against 620 for the traditional version. That is 270 kcal off, or 44%, with 35.1g of protein. Serves 4. 30 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Raw prawns swimming in a thick, fiery sauce made from dried chillies, tomatoes and garlic. The aromatics are heavily fried in olive oil before blending, and the final dish is mounted with a huge chunk of butter to create a rich, clinging glaze, served over long-grain white rice.
What changed, and what each change costs
80g of butter and 30g of olive oil swapped for just 15g of butter, and 300g of tomatoes increased to 400g
Prawns are incredibly lean. Drowning them in oil and butter triples the energy of the plate without adding actual food. I cut the grease and bumped up the fresh tomatoes to maintain the volume of the sauce. A tiny bit of butter at the end keeps a hint of richness.
What it costs you. The sauce loses its luxurious, heavy cling. It is thinner and undeniably fiercer. Without the fat to coat your tongue, the dried chillies will hit you much harder. It's the first compromise you'll notice.
250g of long-grain white rice reduced to 150g
Less rice drops the starch load on the plate, shifting the focus firmly onto the prawns and the sauce.
What it costs you. You have less starch to soak up that aggressive sauce. You might find yourself wanting more rice to put out the fire in your mouth, but you'll just have to sweat it out instead.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 620 | 350 |
| Protein | 36.8g | 35.1g |
| Fat | 25.9g | 5.1g |
| Saturated fat | 11.5g | 2.2g |
| Carbohydrate | 61g | 42g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 5.9g | 10g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Mexican prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. crustaceans, milk.
The method is in the book
This is a violently hot, deeply savoury plate of seafood. A sharp, punishing coastal classic that demands a cold drink, then. Not a rich, buttery restaurant dish, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. The prawns are sweet and tender, and the sauce delivers an unapologetic kick. You'll miss the thick, glossy texture that a huge block of butter provides, and your lips will probably tingle for 1 hour. But you won't miss the heavy feeling in your stomach afterwards. It's fast, aggressive and very good.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Mexican, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback