Congre - Conger Eels. The Conger Eel in French Cuisine.

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

Congre or Anguille de Mer
The Conger eel or the European Conger Eel.

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.
Photograph courtesy of Graeme Churchard
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. 

 

Bouillabaisse.

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.

The Conger eel in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan – congre), (Dutch - zeepaling), (German – conger meerale or  meeraale), (Italian - grongo),  (Spanish – congre, conger safio, congrio), (Latin -  conger conger).

With thanks to Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2015. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (04/2015) for help with the names on conger eels in a number of languages.
 
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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Copyright 2010, 2015, 2021
 
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