French · Authentic-ish French
Saumon en Papillote
436 kcal a serving, against 501 for the traditional version. That is 65 kcal off, or 13%, with 42.6g of protein. Serves 4. 25 minutes.
What the traditional version is
A thick fillet of salmon, sitting on a bed of finely shredded leeks and carrots. It gets a generous splash of dry white wine, a sprig of fresh tarragon and a huge knob of unsalted butter. The paper parcel is folded tight and baked until the butter melts into the wine, poaching the fish in a rich, fatty emulsion that pools at the bottom of the bag.
What changed, and what each change costs
60g of butter down to nothing
Salmon is already a fatty fish. It produces its own rich oils when it cooks. Adding a massive chunk of dairy fat into the bag just makes the whole thing greasy and heavy. I use a splash of lemon juice instead to wake up the flavours.
What it costs you. You lose that classic French restaurant gloss. The juices at the bottom of the bag will be a thin, sharp broth rather than a rich, creamy emulsion. You won't get a thick sauce.
Adding 200g of raw prawns
To make this a more filling meal without relying on heavy side dishes, I stuff a few prawns into each parcel. They cook perfectly in the steam alongside the salmon, soaking up the wine and tarragon.
What it costs you. You have to peel a few prawns. It also means the cooking time is slightly less forgiving, as you don't want the prawns turning into rubber bullets if you leave them in the oven too long.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 501 | 436 |
| Protein | 32.6g | 42.6g |
| Fat | 32.8g | 20.9g |
| Saturated fat | 12.2g | 4.7g |
| Carbohydrate | 14.4g | 14.4g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 6.5g | 9.8g |
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, crustaceans, sulphites.
The method is in the book
So: a bright and sharp midweek dinner. A rich restaurant dish was never on the table once the fat came out. The salmon stays incredibly moist because it cooks in a sealed environment, and the prawns add a great firm bite. The broth at the bottom of the bag is thin but packed with the flavour of tarragon, wine and leek. Mop it up with a piece of crusty bread if you want to catch every last drop.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish French, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback