🇨🇱 Chile · Chilean Pacific coast
Caldillo de congrioChilean conger eel soup
A Chilean soup of conger eel (congrio) in a broth made from the fish head and spine, with potatoes, onion, carrot, tomato or pepper and garlic, served in a clay bowl with a piece of the fish and cilantro.
Origin and history
According to Calendario Chile, caldillo de congrio began in coastal fishing communities, where fishermen cooked what the sea gave them; onion, garlic and paprika from Spanish cooking were added later, and in the twentieth century it moved from the coves to restaurants in Valparaiso and Santiago. Pablo Neruda's Oda al caldillo de congrio (Odas elementales, 1954) made it famous, and it now appears on many Chilean menus.
Make it at home
- Makes
- 4 servings
- Total time
- 1 h 15 min
- Hands-on
- 40 min
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg3.3 lb congrio (conger eel) colorado or dorado, whole, cut into thick medallions; keep the head and backbone for the stock
- 1 stalk celery, for the stock
- 2 large onions, half of one for the stock, the rest cut in feathers (thin strips)
- 2 carrots, one for the stock, one in slices
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, in strips
- 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled, diced
- 1 tsp ají de color (sweet paprika)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 250 ml1 cup dry white wine
- 5 medium potatoes, peeled, quartered
- 1.2 l5 cups water, for the stock
- 100 mlscant 1/2 cup cream or evaporated milk, optional
- 1 small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Method
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1. Put the fish head and backbone in a pot with the water, the celery, half an onion and one carrot. Bring to a boil, skim, then simmer for 30 minutes.
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2. Strain the stock and set it aside.
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3. Heat the oil in a wide pot or clay dish and cook the remaining onion, garlic, pepper and sliced carrot over medium heat until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes.
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4. Add the tomatoes, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, until they break down.
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5. Pour in the white wine and let it bubble for a few minutes until the smell of alcohol fades.
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6. Add the potatoes and enough strained stock to cover, about 1 litre (4 1/4 cups). Simmer gently until the potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes.
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7. Lay the eel medallions on top and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the flesh turns opaque and flakes. Do not stir hard or the pieces will break.
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8. Off the heat, stir in the cream if using, then taste for salt.
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9. Serve in warm bowls, one piece of eel per portion with potatoes and broth, sprinkled with cilantro.
Notes
- Congrio colorado (red) and congrio dorado (golden) are Chilean conger eel. Elsewhere use thick pieces of firm white fish such as cod, hake or monkfish, and make the stock from heads and bones; the dish will be lighter and cook faster.
- Traditional service is in a clay bowl (greda) with cilantro. Cream or evaporated milk at the end is optional; some recipes also add shrimp or machas (razor clams), and Billiken's version adds bay leaf, celery and a green chili.
- Shrimp or machas (razor clams) may be added with the fish.
- The dish is tied to Pablo Neruda's Oda al caldillo de congrio, in Odas elementales (1954).
- Make-ahead: the stock and sofrito keep for a day; cook the fish only at serving time.
Adapted from Calendario Chile, Caldillo de congrio: receta tradicional and Billiken, Caldillo de congrio, un plato tipico chileno.
At the festivals
No festival we list has printed it on a menu yet.