Conger eel soup

Name: Conger eel soup (Caldillo de congrio)
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Chilean
Ingredients: crusty bread, to serve; 2 litres/3½ pints/8 cups water; 600 g/1 lb 6 oz conger eel; 6 bay leaves; 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped into small pieces; salt and black pepper; 5 garlic cloves, peeled; 5 ml/1 tsp dried oregano; 1 green chilli, finely chopped (deseeded if preferred); 10 ml/2 tsp paprika; 2 celery stalks, cut into large pieces; 1 onion, peeled and finely sliced; 45 ml/3 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tomato; 1 red (bell) pepper, finely chopped; 2 carrots, cut into large pieces; 1 carrot, peeled and cut into julienne strips; 1 sprig of fresh coriander (cilantro); ½ onion, peeled; 15 ml/1 tbsp lemon juice; 200 ml/7 fl oz/scant 1 cup white wine

Caldillo de congrio

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Food and Cooking of Chile

By Boris Basso Benelli

Published 2014

About

This classic fish soup from the Chilean coast became known to the wider world thanks to the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who wrote an ode to the dish, Oda al Caldillo de Congrio. Conger eel can be difficult to find, but you can substitute monkfish tail for similarly delectable results.

Ingredients

600 g/1 lb 6 oz conger eel
1

Americas
Chile
Pescatarian
Soup

Method

First, prepare the conger eel. Using a sharp knife, remove and reserve the head. Slice off the flesh from either side of the backbone, to form long fillets. Reserve the backbone. Dip your fingers in salt, for better grip, then pull off the skin from the fillets. Discard. Cut each fillet into two pieces and remove any bones.
Place the eel’s head and the backbone