Conger with mussels a la marinera

How rich and tasty is the conger in the stews . This fish provides a delicious flavor and a lot of thickness to the stews for having gelatinous areas in its meat. If you are going to cook conger eel, I recommend that it not be at a celebration with children, because it is a fish with many bones and you already know that the little ones out there do not pass. But if it is too late and you have the menu prepared, you can ask for the part that goes from the head to the middle of the body, because this area has fewer spines and is also the tastiest.

The conger eel is a night-loving fish that takes advantage of the darkness to leave the protection of its caves or stones to feed on crustaceans, fish and squid. It has  delicate, lean and tender meat , a very tasty fish, rich in proteins of high biological value and perfect for preparing a large number of recipes. Its unique flavor has been highly appreciated since ancient times for its delicate meat. In this recipe we have used the open part, a kilo only comes to make the recipe, although they usually weigh much more, this part of the fish offers lean and tender meat, and is usually prepared in slices. If you buy quantity and in it the fishmonger includes the tail, you have thorns and it provides a lot of flavor so it is perfect for broths and fish funds.

Remember, that when incorporating mussels into the recipe, you must cook it the day after having bought them, so that they do not spoil. At most you can leave it for a day and a half, but it is better to cook them as soon as possible. I use pear tomato for the sofrito, they are the ones I like the most for stews and to make fried tomato. They peel well and their meat is very tender.

As for the fish broth, I always recommend the same. If you have it prepared or you have time to do it, then for that, surely you will get a spectacular dish. But if you don’t feel like rolling the blanket over your head preparing broths, buy one that already comes prepared. If it is from a brand that generates confidence, the better. We wash our hands and the mess!

Preparation of the conger eel a la marinera

1. Salt and pepper the conger fillets.
2. In a frying pan we put olive oil to cover the bottom and when it is hot add the conger fillets so that they brown on both sides. We remove them from the pan and reserve.
3. Chop the garlic cloves. In a casserole not very deep, but wide enough for the fillets and mussels to go well, heat up a little oil and fry the garlic cloves until golden. On medium heat and carefully they will not burn.
4. Peel the tomatoes and chop or crush them. Both for casseroles and for making tomato sauce, I usually use pear tomatoes, but you can use the ones you have in the fridge whenever they are ripe. We add them to the previous sofrito so that they cook over low heat, two or three minutes, stirring often.
5. Then pour the white wine and leave it over medium heat, until it is reduced. When it is ready add the fish stock and wait for it to boil. We clean the mussels (the shell) and remove the protruding beards.
6. Add the conger fillets and mussels to the casserole and leave to cook over low heat until the mussels have opened and the broth has reduced considerably. Sprinkle a pinch of parsley and serve hot.

You will like this seafood conger recipe a lot, you will see, you can also substitute the conger with another type of fish, the preparation is very similar. You will surely surprise your partner if you make this dish for a daily day with the family or with a dinner or special meal with your friends.

As with all stews, this improves if they are made overnight. Do not forget to buy bread because the sauce is almost the best of this recipe. A white wine from your land, good company and a little bread are the best accompaniments for this dish.

Be sure to enjoy all the recipes for fish and seafood that we have on the blog, I assure you that you will find a lot of ideas to make yours much happier.

You can see all the photos of the step by step in the next album.