Mexican · Authentic-ish Mexican
Tacos de Carne Asada
533 kcal a serving, against 685 for the traditional version. That is 152 kcal off, or 22%, with 46.8g of protein. Serves 4. 30 minutes plus marinating.
What the traditional version is
Rich, fatty skirt steak marinated in a heavy blend of oil, citrus and garlic. Grilled over a fierce heat until charred and rendered, then chopped and piled into a generous stack of warm corn tortillas with a fresh tomato and onion salsa.
What changed, and what each change costs
800g of beef skirt and 60g of vegetable oil swapped for 800g of lean beef brisket and 10g of oil
Skirt steak has a high fat content, and traditional marinades drown it in even more oil. Swapping to lean brisket and cutting the oil drastically reduces the fat load while keeping all the protein and the deep beef flavour.
What it costs you. Brisket is a tougher cut than skirt if you get the cooking wrong, and it lacks that fatty mouthfeel. It's the first compromise you'll notice. You have to slice it very thin across the grain, or you'll be chewing it for days.
400g of corn tortillas reduced to 300g
Dropping the amount of corn tortilla cuts the starch, making the beef the absolute focus of the plate.
What it costs you. You get a slightly smaller portion. If you've got a massive appetite, you'll need to fill the gap with extra salsa or a side salad. The meal feels a bit less substantial.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 685 | 533 |
| Protein | 50.3g | 46.8g |
| Fat | 30.3g | 19.3g |
| Saturated fat | 7.5g | 5.8g |
| Carbohydrate | 53.6g | 43.2g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 7.3g | 8.8g |
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.
The method is in the book
This is a brilliant plate of food, but So: a sharp, focused dish for your own kitchen. A greasy street taco was never on the table once the fat came out. You give up the dripping fat of skirt steak. You get the intense, beefy chew of a hard-seared brisket. By stripping back the oil and the tortillas, you let the sharp tomato and jalapeno salsa do all the heavy lifting. It hits all the right notes for a Tuesday night dinner, provided you don't forget to slice the meat thinly.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Mexican, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback