Braised Conger Eel

I saw a pack of fresh conger eel steak at Fairprice and decided it shall be our main course for dinner tonight. It was the first time I had tried cooking it. Surprisingly it turns out to be a really delicious fish!


Conger eel is more commonly found in European-Mediterranean waters and can grow up to 3 m long! However, there is a specie found in Southeast Asian waters, according to this author.

Unlike other eel fish I have tried, conger eel is quite bony with a center spine radiating bones along the length of the center spine to the dorsal fin. As my left cheek is still numb from an illness I needed to exercise extra caution eating the bony but delicious eel.

I use a braising method I learnt (and adapted) from Van, a Vietnamese student. She was a wonderful housemate when Ethan and I were living in Melbourne in 2002. In my approach I decided not to over-cook the eel, using as my guide the usual 8 minutes steaming time for fresh fish plus an additional minute to account for the roundness of the eel steak. And it was spot on - the eel was cooked to just the right degree of doneness, just like a freshly steamed fish, not dry but succulent and with a natural sweet taste! Over-cooking, whether steaming or braising the fish, kills the natural sweetness inherent in all fresh fish.

Ingredients:

1 pack fresh conger eel (S$3.54 @ S$7.50/kg or 0.472kg)
2 bird chilies
Fish sauce (my fav is Tiparos)
Tomato paste
2 fresh tomatoes

Method:

1. Cut the eel fish through the center bone into approximately 2-inch thick chunks. Then slide along one side of the chunks as the center bone is quite tough to cut through. Salt and leave in the fridge for 30-min. Wash away the salt before you braise the eel.

2. For the braising sauce, add fish sauce to water in a pan and adjust to taste. Do not use to much water as you don't need to cover the fish fillet with water. For instance, I use only about 1 1/2-inch of water and add Tiparos to taste.

3. Cut the chilies, removing the seeds leaving only as much as you think is the degree of hotness you want. I usually remove 1/2 to 3/4 of the seeds. Add to the sauce in the pan and boil for 5 min.

4. Add the washed eel to the boiling sauce. Turn down the flame and simmer for 4 min, which is half of the time (8 min) it requires to cook the fish. Add 2 T tomato paste and 1 fresh tomato cut into quarters.

5. Simmer for another 5 min, then turn off the flame.

Next Post: Sweet Beans with butter, salt and pepper

Sweet Beans

Sweet beans, which look similar to snow pea beans, will nicely complement the braised conger eel for dinner tonight. We love sweet beans cooked just right for that crunchy sweet taste.

First, clean the sweet beans, peeling the fibrous thread long both sides of the bean. Soak the beans in clean water for about 15 min.

Meanwhile, pour about 3/4-inch of water in a wok (estimated just enough to cover the beans) and salt the water slightly (about 1/2 tsp. When the water boils, add the sweet beans and simmer for 1 minute. Remove the blanched beans to a plate.

Pour away the water. Add 1 garlic clove roughly chopped to the hot dry wok, turning down the flame to low immediately to avoid burning the garlic. Add 1 thin slice of butter and a pinch of crushed black pepper. After about a minute, the garlic would still be white - just before browning slightly. You will know because that's when the garlic emits its aroma.

Add the blanched beans and fry for 1-1/2 minute. Then remove to a plate. You may add a little Morton salt to taste at this time.

Next Post: Stir-fried Pork Liver