The cuisine of sunny Veracruz shows how light and healthy Mexican food can be

When sisters Reyna and Maritza Vazquez emigrated from Mexico to Austin as teenagers, their first encounter with what was labeled Tex-Mex or Mexican food confused them. Nachos, liquid cheese, enchiladas drowned in red gravy and overstuffed burritos — top of mind when many of us think of Mexican food — were completely foreign to them.

In the United States, we tend to get stuck on this limited idea of the cuisine. In reality, though, it is much more varied and healthful. The Vazquez sisters had never even seen these dishes in their native Veracruz, the coastal region famous for its vegetable- and seafood-based dishes.

After settling into their new home, it occurred to them that health-conscious, outdoorsy Austin would probably embrace the array of fresh, produce-packed dishes with which they grew up. And they were right.

Now, years later, they own several popular food trucks and brick-and-mortar locations, and were awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand award for their restaurant Veracruz Fonda & Bar. The sisters, credited with transforming Austin’s Mexican food scene, detail their inspiring journey and share their beloved recipes in their new cookbook, “Veracruz All Natural.”

This version of the famous dish, adapted from the book, exemplifies how they have reimagined traditional recipes to reflect their own preferences and accommodate busy lifestyles. It is made with snapper fillets rather than a whole fish, so it comes together quickly and easily in a single skillet. The fish is seared in the pan, then removed to make way for a saucy sauté of onion, garlic, sweet and hot peppers, and tomatoes that is flavored with wine, olives, capers and thyme. (The ingredients reflect the Spanish influence on the cuisine of Veracruz.) The fish is then nestled into the sauce to finish cooking.

The dish, served with crusty bread or corn tortillas for sopping up all the tasty juices, is a nourishing, flavorful meal that brings a fresh perspective on Mexican food to the table.

• Ellie Krieger is a registered dietitian nutritionist and cookbook author who hosts public television’s “Ellie’s Real Good Food.” Learn more at elliekrieger.com.

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Veracruz-Style Snapper

Four (5-to-6-ounce) skin-on red snapper fillets

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon fine salt, divided, plus more as needed

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

½ small white onion (about 2½ ounces total), thinly sliced into half-moons (about ¾ cup)

10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced

1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced

½ cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio

1 pound Roma tomatoes, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)

16 pitted Kalamata olives (⅓ cup)

4 dried bay leaves

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons capers

1 cup water

1 lemon, seeded and sliced into 8 rounds

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Crusty bread or corn tortillas, for serving (optional)

Pat the fish fillets dry. In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper. Sprinkle the seasoning evenly over both sides of the fish.

Heat a large (12-inch) skillet, preferably cast iron, over high heat for 3 minutes. Drizzle in 2 tablespoons of the oil and immediately add the fish, skin side down. Cook undisturbed until browned, about 1 minute, then flip the fish and cook on the other side until browned, about 30 seconds. Transfer the fish to a plate. (It’s OK if some bits of fish remain in the pan.)

Reduce the heat to medium, and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, the onion and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cook until the onion softens slightly, 30 seconds, then stir in the garlic, bell peppers and jalapeño. Cook until the peppers soften slightly and begin to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the wine and tomatoes. Increase the heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits in the pan, until the tomatoes begin to break down, about 3 minutes.

Add the olives, bay leaves, thyme, capers and water, and bring to a boil, cooking until the mixture thickens to a stewlike consistency, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and place the fish, skin side up, on top of the sauce. Arrange the lemon slices on top of the fish. Cook, uncovered, until the fish is just cooked all the way through, is opaque and flakes easily with a fork, about 4 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Taste the sauce, and season with additional salt, if desired.

Divide the fish and sauce among rimmed plates or shallow bowls, garnish with the parsley, and serve, with bread or tortillas for sopping up the juices, if desired.

Servings: 4

Active: 35 minutes, Total time: 55 minutes

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Substitutions: For snapper, use other white fish fillets. Don’t like heat? Reduce or omit the jalapeño. Instead of using red and green bell peppers, use one or the other. For white onion, use yellow or red onion. For Roma tomatoes, use other tomatoes. Can’t have alcohol? Use nonalcoholic wine; or broth or stock with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice, and a pinch of sugar. For fresh thyme, use 1½ teaspoons dried thyme. For lemon, use lime. Don’t like or have capers? Use more olives.

Nutritional facts per serving (1 fish fillet with 1 cup vegetables and sauce): Calories: 342, Fat: 15 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Carbohydrates: 18 g, Sodium: 552 mg, Cholesterol: 52 mg, Protein: 32 g, Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 4 g.

— Adapted from “Veracruz All Natural” by Reyna Vazquez and Maritza Vazquez with Nils Bernstein (S&S/Simon Element, 2026).