from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
A conger eel looking out of its cave.
Photograph courtesy of La Cote Bleu
Photograph by C.Coudre
The conger eel is the biggest and the heaviest member of the eel family. They have a firm, tasty flesh, and apart from their important place in French fish soups and stews, they will be served on their own as filets or as fried or grilled steaks. The conger eel is a sea animal, treated like a fish, and from the same family as the European freshwater eel which is also much appreciated in French cuisine. The European conger eel is caught in the Mediterranean, where it is an important ingredient in the Marseilles Bouillabaisse, and in the Atlantic where it is essential for an authentic Basque Ttoro fish stew. Apart from France, you will find conger eel on many Japanese and South American menus.
Conger eels on sale at an open-air market.
The Conger eels are at the back.
To the right are Dover sole and to the front are Plaice.
www.flickr.com/photos/graeme/43308883494/
You may have seen a National Geographic Magazine or a National
Geographic Channel clip with conger eels over 2.5m (8 feet) long. However, that
most French fishers usually catch smaller sizes, but they are not so small
either. Most French-caught conger eels will be around 0.8 meters (2.5 feet).
The conger eel prefers living in caves, and then they are caught by a rod and line
offering them a tasty morsel. Only rarely do conger eels end up in fishing
nets.
Another conger eel waiting for lunch to pass its cave,
Photograph courtesy of gordon.milligan
www.flickr.com/photos/el-milligano/11715500795/
Conger eels on French Menus:
Congre au Beurre - Conger eel
steaks lightly fried in butter.
Photograph
courtesy of Cyclone Bill.
www.flickr.com/photos/cyclonebill/2855022887/
Congre Grillée à l'Ail et au Persil – A grilled conger eel steak flavored
with garlic and parsley.
Daube de Congre – A conger eel stew. A conger eel
version of a Provençal dish that began as a beef daube, itself traditionally made with
red wine. Following that daube tradition, the meaty flesh of the conger eel
will be cooked in red wine. The recipe for this daube will often include shrimp, mussels, and some small fish added for
flavor and decoration,
Congre à la bretonne
Conger eel in the manner of Brittany.
Photograph of courtesy of Cuisine AZ
Matelote
de Congre au Vin Rouge – A matelote fish stew made with the conger eel and red wine.
All matelotes are fish stews, some will be made with freshwater fish, and
others like this menu listing are made with sea fish. Here the conger eel is
the star. (See Bouillabaisse and Ttoro).
Matelote De Congre Au Vin Rouge
Photograph courtesy of Pavillon France
Soupe d´Araignée de Mer et de Congre Légèrement Piquant – A mildy spicey soup made with the European spider crab and the conger eel. The spider crab is considered the tastiest of France’s local crabs.
