Greek · Authentic-ish Greek
Mydia Achnista
606 kcal a serving, against 996 for the traditional version. That is 390 kcal off, or 39%, with 77.5g of protein. Serves 4. 25 minutes.
What the traditional version is
A mountain of fresh mussels steamed open in a wide pan. The cooking liquid is heavily fortified with olive oil, lots of dry white wine, roughly chopped garlic and sweet shallots. Fresh parsley and lemon juice are tossed in at the last second. It creates a rich, heavily emulsified broth that absolutely demands to be soaked up with thick slices of white bread.
What changed, and what each change costs
120g of olive oil down to 15g
Oil makes the broth thick and glossy, but it shoots the calories into the stratosphere. I use just enough to soften the shallots, then rely on chicken stock to build the volume of the liquid.
What it costs you. You lose that intense mouth-coating richness. The new broth is thinner and sharper, drinking more like a clear soup than a sauce.
300g of white wine down to 100g, adding Dijon mustard
Wine brings acidity, but pouring in a whole bottle adds empty calories. A smaller splash still gives you the right aroma, while Dijon mustard steps in to provide the missing tang and help emulsify the juices.
What it costs you. The flavour profile shifts. What you've got is slightly more savoury and pungent from the mustard. A pure wine broth is a different dish and you know where to find it.
300g of white bread down to 0g, adding raw prawns
A bowl of traditional mussels needs bread to soak up the oil. Since I killed the oil, you don't need the bread. I throw raw prawns into the steaming liquid instead, giving you something else to hunt for.
What it costs you. You don't get to mop your plate clean with a massive chunk of bread. That's a heavy loss, and the prawns don't completely replace that comfort.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 996 | 606 |
| Protein | 67.2g | 77.5g |
| Fat | 44g | 16.2g |
| Saturated fat | 6.9g | 2.9g |
| Carbohydrate | 66.5g | 30g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 6.7g | 12.8g |
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. molluscs, crustaceans, sulphites, mustard, celery.
The method is in the book
This hits the table looking exactly like a traditional Greek feast. The chicken stock and mustard trick works brilliantly to build a savoury broth, and the prawns give you extra meat to chew on. You'll miss the white bread for dipping, but you'll walk away feeling entirely alive instead of desperately needing a nap.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Greek, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback