Dr. Jean-Michel Cohen’s Secret to Lighter Sauces: Mayonnaise, Tartar, Caesar!

Ever since you invested in an air fryer, making fries has never been the same. Instead of dunking your potato sticks into a vat of oil, you now slide them into one of the air fryer’s drawers with hardly any added fat. In just minutes, the potatoes emerge perfectly crispy and tender. Truly, it’s a game-changer. There’s just one problem: you can’t seem to give up the sauces. Whether it’s ketchup or maybe a leftover packet of Creamy Deluxe from McDonald’s, you indulge. However, your favorite remains tartar sauce, cherished for its perfect balance of creaminess and tang. Fortunately, Jean-Michel Cohen has a trick to lighten it up.

Unfortunately, sauces like tartar, Caesar, cocktail, and aioli are notorious for their high calorie count. Why? Because they are primarily made of mayonnaise, a blend of eggs, vegetable oil, and mustard. But there’s no need to eliminate them from your diet if you’re watching your weight. Instead of cutting them out, the nutritionist dedicates a double-page spread at the start of his book “Healthy Recipes with Dr. Jean-Michel Cohen for the Airfryer”. He shares a unique tip for reducing the calorie count.

How does he do it? Simply by substituting some of the mayonnaise with… yogurt! Take, for example, the beloved tartar sauce. To make it, Cohen mixes 30 g of mayonnaise with 40 g of yogurt, to which he adds 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar or brine from a pickle jar, 1 tbsp of chopped capers, 1 tbsp of chopped pickles, 1 tbsp of chopped chives, another of chopped tarragon, and a pinch of crushed garlic paste. A bit of salt and pepper… and voila!

For Caesar sauce, the nutritionist blends together 2 tbsp of mayonnaise with 50 g of yogurt, then adds a half clove of crushed garlic, a pinch of chili powder, 1 tbsp of white vinegar, 1 tsp of mustard, 20 g of grated Parmesan, one anchovy, and 2 to 3 tbsp of water.

The same principle applies to aioli, which here consists of 3 tbsp of mayonnaise, 4 tbsp of yogurt, a half clove of crushed garlic, and 1 tbsp of finely chopped green onions. With this method, your fries are well complemented.