Greek · Authentic-ish Greek
Psari Plaki
278 kcal a serving, against 510 for the traditional version. That is 232 kcal off, or 45%, with 37.9g of protein. Serves 4. 50 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Thick fillets of white fish buried under a mountain of sliced onions, garlic and tomatoes. The whole lot is submerged in a vast quantity of olive oil and baked for an hour until the vegetables collapse into a rich, saturated stew.
What changed, and what each change costs
120g of olive oil down to 15g
Olive oil is brilliant, but dropping the volume shifts the maths of the whole dish. Cooking the vegetables in their own moisture and a splash of wine creates a brilliant braising liquid for a fraction of the cost.
What it costs you. You lose that incredible slick of orange oil that pools on the plate for you to mop up with bread. The sauce feels lighter and sharper.
Long baking down to a fast roast
Without that thick protective blanket of oil, a long bake dries the fish out to dust. I cook the vegetable base first on the hob, then add the fish for a quick 15 minutes in a hot oven.
What it costs you. So: distinct flakes of fish sitting on top of soft vegetables. A melting, unified stew was never on the table once the fat came out. The texture is completely different.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 510 | 278 |
| Protein | 37.9g | 37.9g |
| Fat | 31.7g | 5.5g |
| Saturated fat | 4.5g | 0.9g |
| Carbohydrate | 14.3g | 14.3g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 7.4g | 13.6g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Greek prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. fish, sulphites.
The method is in the book
A highly effective trade. You definitely miss the luxurious mouthfeel of the oil, but the fresh tomatoes and white wine do enough heavy lifting to keep the dish interesting. The fish stays perfectly moist, and you get a sharp, vibrant dinner that hits all the right Greek notes without dragging you down.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Greek, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback