French · Authentic-ish French
Bouillabaisse
432 kcal a serving, against 661 for the traditional version. That is 229 kcal off, or 35%, with 54.1g of protein. Serves 6. 45 minutes.
What the traditional version is
A deeply flavoured broth made from onions, leeks, fennel, tomatoes and white wine, swimming with thick chunks of white fish, fresh mussels and large prawns. The broth itself is heavily enriched with olive oil. It is always served with thick slices of toasted baguette and a generous dollop of rouille, which is a thick emulsion of raw egg yolks, saffron, garlic and even more olive oil.
What changed, and what each change costs
120g of olive oil and 40g of egg yolk for 150g of zero-fat Greek yoghurt
Traditional rouille is basically mayonnaise. It is incredibly heavy and loaded with fat. I use fat-free Greek yoghurt spiked with fresh garlic, red chilli and saffron to mimic the flavour profile without the oil.
What it costs you. Call it a sharp, cold sauce rather than a rich, velvety mayonnaise and you'll be about right. The yoghurt has a sour tang that cuts through the hot soup rather than melting smoothly into it.
Slashing the olive oil in the stew base down to 15g
A classic recipe uses loads of oil to sweat the vegetables and enrich the broth. I use just enough to stop the onions and fennel from sticking to the frying pan.
What it costs you. The broth is noticeably thinner. You miss that heavy, lip-coating mouthfeel that only a massive glug of olive oil can provide.
300g of baguette down to 150g
You only need 2 slices to carry the garlic sauce and mop up the final drops of soup at the bottom of the bowl. Eating 300g of bread with your dinner is entirely optional.
What it costs you. You get less bread to soak up the broth, so you'll have to use a spoon.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 661 | 432 |
| Protein | 55.3g | 54.1g |
| Fat | 27.5g | 7.7g |
| Saturated fat | 4.6g | 1.4g |
| Carbohydrate | 43.2g | 30.9g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 8.4g | 12.5g |
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. gluten, crustaceans, fish, milk, molluscs, sulphites.
The method is in the book
This is a deeply savoury, massive bowl of seafood that still smells brilliantly of saffron, fennel and white wine. Yes, the broth lacks the heavy, oily slick of the original, and the yoghurt rouille brings a sharp tang rather than a rich, fatty creaminess. I actually think it works perfectly anyway. The clear, sharp broth lets the delicate flavour of the cod and sea bass shine through, rather than drowning them in olive oil. It is a gloriously messy dinner that demands you get your hands dirty peeling prawns. It is an absolute triumph.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish French, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback