Greek · Authentic-ish Greek
Garides Saganaki
254 kcal a serving, against 397 for the traditional version. That is 143 kcal off, or 36%, with 35.2g of protein. Serves 4. 40 minutes.
What the traditional version is
A generous handful of prawns baked in a heavy clay dish. The sauce is built on a huge glug of olive oil, sweet onions, garlic and fresh tomatoes. A thick slab of feta cheese goes on top before it hits a fiercely hot oven. The cheese softens, the oil separates and bubbles around the edges, and you mop the whole lot up with white bread.
What changed, and what each change costs
60g of olive oil down to 10g
You don't need a deep pool of fat to make a good tomato sauce. A tiny splash of oil is enough to soften the onions. The tinned tomatoes provide all the moisture the sauce needs.
What it costs you. You lose that rich, separated oil slick that pools at the edges of the baking dish. If you love dipping bread into hot oil, you'll miss it.
200g of feta down to 80g
Feta carries a massive caloric load. By crumbling a smaller amount over the top, you get the salty, tangy hits without turning the entire sauce into a cheese soup.
What it costs you. This is a scattering of sharp accents. Nobody is going to mistake it for a solid blanket of melted dairy anymore. The sauce stays entirely tomato-based.
400g of prawns up to 600g
Prawns are pure lean muscle. Upping the quantity fills the physical gap left by the cheese and makes the dish incredibly satisfying. It turns a starter into a proper main course.
What it costs you. Good prawns are expensive. Buying 600g of them drives the cost of your shopping trip up. There's no way around that.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 397 | 254 |
| Protein | 29.8g | 35.2g |
| Fat | 25.9g | 7.6g |
| Saturated fat | 9.1g | 3.3g |
| Carbohydrate | 10.1g | 9.7g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 7.5g | 13.8g |
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. crustaceans, milk, sulphites.
The method is in the book
The tomato sauce is punchy and fiercely savoury. You get far more seafood on your fork, which makes the plate feel generous. You definitely miss the luxurious, oily puddle at the bottom of the dish, but the trade is entirely worth it.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Greek, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback