French · Authentic-ish French
Sole a la Normande
457 kcal a serving, against 797 for the traditional version. That is 340 kcal off, or 43%, with 58.6g of protein. Serves 4. 40 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Whole Dover sole or large fillets poached gently in butter and dry cider. The cooking liquor is then aggressively reduced and mounted with a colossal amount of double cream and more butter to form a thick, rich sauce. Mussels and prawns are tossed through at the very end. It's a masterpiece of dairy and seafood.
What changed, and what each change costs
250g of double cream down to 100g of half-fat creme fraiche
Boiling down 250g of double cream guarantees a luscious sauce, but it dominates the delicate fish entirely. I use half-fat creme fraiche instead, stirring it in right at the end so it doesn't curdle.
What it costs you. Creme fraiche has a distinct tang. You lose the pure, sweet dairy blanket of the original, and the sauce is noticeably thinner.
100g of butter down to 15g
The classic method insists you fry the shallots in butter, poach the fish in butter, and whisk cold butter into the finished sauce for a glossy sheen. I use a tiny knob just to soften the shallots, relying on the reduced cider for the actual flavour.
What it costs you. You lose that restaurant-style mirror glaze on the sauce. It looks a bit duller in the pan.
Sea bass instead of Dover sole
Dover sole is a nightmare to cook evenly if you don't have a giant fish kettle, and it costs an absolute fortune. I use sea bass fillets. They cook in minutes and hold together perfectly in the shallow pan.
What it costs you. Sea bass is an entirely different beast. It lacks the dense, meaty texture of a proper Dover sole.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 797 | 457 |
| Protein | 60.2g | 58.6g |
| Fat | 50g | 14g |
| Saturated fat | 28.5g | 5.9g |
| Carbohydrate | 17.3g | 13.4g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 7.6g | 12.8g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish French prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. fish, milk, molluscs, crustaceans, sulphites.
The method is in the book
Call it a bright, sharp seafood dish rather than a rich dairy soup and you'll be about right. The cider brings a brilliant acidic snap that cuts right through the creme fraiche. The mussels and prawns give you massive hits of savoury sea water. Because you aren't eating 100g of butter, you actually taste the delicate fish. You'll still want a piece of bread to wipe the bowl clean, but you won't need a nap afterwards.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish French, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback