flipCaldillo de congrio (Chilean conger eel chowder)
Caldillo de congrio (Chilean conger eel chowder)
Why this dish? Neruda devoted an entire ode to this dish, the 'Oda al caldillo de congrio': grilled then simmered conger eel was THE dish on his table at Isla Negra, the pinnacle of his love for the Pacific's seafood.
A golden sea chowder: conger eel poached in a broth of onion, garlic, tomato, and potato, bound with a little cream and a splash of white wine, perfumed with cilantro. Comforting, briny, luminous.
Come, amigo, draw near to my table at Isla Negra. In the sea of Chile lives the rosy conger, and I swear to you there is no nobler feast: we melt onion and garlic in oil, lay down the potatoes, pour in sea water turned to broth, and finally place the conger like a treasure. A tear of cream, a little wine from my country, and the caldillo lights up like a sunset in the hollow of the plate. Eat it burning hot, and you will understand why I made it a poem.
- •Fresh conger eel (steaks) — one fine fish, portioned (heart of the dish)
- •Onions — two to three (aromatic base)
- •Garlic — a few cloves (perfume)
- •Ripe tomatoes — two (binding and color)
- •Potatoes — a few (body of the caldillo)
- •Chilean white wine — a glass (acidity)
- •Cream — a splash (roundness)
- •Fresh cilantro — a handful (final freshness)
Caldillo de congrio (Chilean conger eel chowder)
A golden sea chowder: conger eel poached in a broth of onion, garlic, tomato, and potato, bound with a little cream and a splash of white wine, perfumed with cilantro. Comforting, briny, luminous.
Why this dish? Neruda devoted an entire ode to this dish, the 'Oda al caldillo de congrio': grilled then simmered conger eel was THE dish on his table at Isla Negra, the pinnacle of his love for the Pacific's seafood.
Come, amigo, draw near to my table at Isla Negra. In the sea of Chile lives the rosy conger, and I swear to you there is no nobler feast: we melt onion and garlic in oil, lay down the potatoes, pour in sea water turned to broth, and finally place the conger like a treasure. A tear of cream, a little wine from my country, and the caldillo lights up like a sunset in the hollow of the plate. Eat it burning hot, and you will understand why I made it a poem.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh conger eel (steaks) — one fine fish, portioned (heart of the dish)
- Onions — two to three (aromatic base)
- Garlic — a few cloves (perfume)
- Ripe tomatoes — two (binding and color)
- Potatoes — a few (body of the caldillo)
- Chilean white wine — a glass (acidity)
- Cream — a splash (roundness)
- Fresh cilantro — a handful (final freshness)
Ingredients
- Conger eel (or monkfish/pollock as substitute) — 600 g in steaks (heart of the dish)
- Sliced onions — 2 medium (aromatic base)
- Garlic — 3 cloves (perfume)
- Crushed tomatoes — 2 (or 200 g canned) (binding)
- Potatoes — 3 medium, sliced (body)
- Dry white wine — 150 ml (acidity)
- Heavy cream — 4 tbsp (roundness)
- Fish stock or water — 1 liter (broth)
- Cilantro + paprika — 1 handful + 1 tsp (perfume)
- Olive oil, salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil with paprika, without browning.
- Add tomatoes, let cook down for 5 minutes.
- Pour in white wine, reduce for 2 minutes, then add the stock.
- Add potatoes and cook for 15 minutes until tender.
- Place conger steaks in the pot, lower heat, and poach for 6–8 minutes without boiling hard.
- Off the heat, stir in cream, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve very hot.
How it was made : On the Chilean coast, conger was cooked in clay pots over a wood fire; seawater sometimes served as broth, and each cove had its own version depending on the day's catch.
The contemporary twist : Serve in an earthenware bowl with a slice of grilled kneaded bread and, as a nod, copy a verse from the ode on a small card.
Sources : Pablo Neruda, 'Oda al caldillo de congrio', *Odas elementales*, 1954
Pablo Neruda · Charactorium
