Salmon tacos cut bad fat

Sometimes low-fat doesn’t have to mean low in fat — and it never has to mean low in flavor.

When looking for ways to eat healthier, it’s always smart to consider fat intake. And as everyone knows, reducing how much of it you consume is an important way to reduce calories and eliminate harmful saturated and trans fats.

Fat is more complicated than that. Some dietary fat is good, largely because the body needs it to function, but fat has also been found to play a key role in helping the body absorb other nutrients, including many of the nutrients in produce.

The key is to opt for good fats, such as vegetable fats and those found in fish. Which is why, sometimes, less isn’t best.

That principle is particularly true when it comes to flavor. Horrible diets and diet foods from the ‘70s and ‘80s have convinced many people that healthy eating is inherently tasteless.

That’s what big flavors are for, says Sandy Gluck, food editor for Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food magazine. As in spicy chipotle peppers, Parmesan cheese (a little bit adds a lot of flavor) and olives.

Spiking healthy dishes with high-flavor ingredients adds plenty of appeal without weighing the dish down with calories.

This recipe for salmon tacos from the January-February issue of Everyday Food is a good example of both principles — combining moderate amounts of healthy fats with high-impact ingredients, in this case cilantro.

Salmon tacos

11/4 pounds salmon fillet

Course salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

4 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

1 cup packed fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

½ cup reduced-fat sour cream

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