Mexican · Authentic-ish Mexican
Pescado a la Veracruzana
309 kcal a serving, against 464 for the traditional version. That is 155 kcal off, or 33%, with 44g of protein. Serves 4. 40 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Whole red snapper or thick fillets gently simmered in a heavy tomato sauce. The sauce is heavily fortified with a massive pour of olive oil, then loaded with sliced onions, garlic, pickled jalapenos, capers and black olives. The fish poaches in this oily, briny broth until tender.
What changed, and what each change costs
80g of olive oil reduced to 15g
Olive oil is pure fat and costs hundreds of calories. The traditional recipe uses it to build a rich, heavy mouthfeel. Cutting the oil down drastically saves all that fat while leaving the snapper's protein untouched.
What it costs you. The sauce loses its luxurious, mouth-coating texture. It becomes a much lighter, thinner tomato broth rather than a rich stew. It's the first compromise you'll notice, because the sauce won't cling to the fish in quite the same way.
80g of black olives reduced to 40g
Olives bring a brilliant salty punch, but they also bring a lot of background fat. Cutting the amount by 50% keeps the briny flavour in the pan while trimming the fat further.
What it costs you. You get fewer salty, intense bites of olive scattered through the sauce. You have to hunt for them a bit more, which makes the dish feel slightly less generous.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 464 | 309 |
| Protein | 44.1g | 44g |
| Fat | 25.4g | 8g |
| Saturated fat | 3.9g | 1.4g |
| Carbohydrate | 15.2g | 14.6g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 9.5g | 14.3g |
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. fish.
The method is in the book
This is a sharp, vibrant plate of food. Call it a bright and acidic fish stew rather than a rich, oily feast and you'll be about right. The tomatoes, capers and jalapenos still deliver a massive hit of flavour, and the snapper flakes beautifully. You miss the heavy oil in the sauce, but the core identity of the dish survives the cut. You get all the briny Spanish influence and the Mexican heat, without feeling heavy afterwards. It's a brilliant way to cook fish.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Mexican, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback