Sicilian-style braised conger eel with tomatoes, raisins, and pine nuts

Ingredients

• 900 g fresh conger eel, cut into thick steaks, gutted and trimmed by the fishmonger
• 500 g plain Italian tomato sauce or good-quality marinara
• 70 g plump golden raisins
• 45 g pine nuts
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 piece red onion
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar of Modena
• 12 cl dry Italian white wine
• 2 tbsp capers in vinegar
• 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
• 0.5 bunches fresh basil
• 0.5 bunches fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 piece organic untreated lemon
• to taste fine salt
• to taste black peppercorns

Method

1. Prepare the conger eel: thoroughly pat the fish steaks dry with paper towels, check that there is no damaged skin or bloodline remaining, and season lightly with salt. Let rest for 15 minutes at room temperature to take the chill off before cooking.
2. Plump the golden raisins in a small bowl with the white wine for 15 minutes. They should swell, soften, and infuse the wine reserved for the sauce with a subtle honeyed note.
3. Toast the pine nuts in a dry, wide skillet over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly until evenly golden blonde and fragrant with a warm, resinous aroma. Immediately transfer to a cool plate.
4. In the same skillet, heat the olive oil over low heat (about 250 °F / 120 °C) and sweat the sliced red onion for 6 to 8 minutes, until translucent and tender without browning. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more, until fragrant but not colored.
5. Increase the heat to medium-high (about 340 °F / 170 °C), add the conger eel steaks, and sear for 2 minutes per side. The surfaces should be lightly golden, the edges opaque and firm, and the center still raw. Transfer the fish to a plate and set aside.
6. Deglaze the skillet with the raisin-soaking white wine over high heat for 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom, and reduce the liquid by half.
7. Add the tomato sauce, drained raisins, Italian seasoning, capers, and balsamic vinegar. Simmer uncovered over low heat (about 185 °F / 85 °C at a gentle simmer) for 10 minutes, until the sauce turns glossy and lightly coats the back of a spoon.
8. Arrange the conger eel steaks in the sauce in a single layer. Partially cover and simmer very gently (about 175-185 °F / 80-85 °C) for 12 to 15 minutes, basting the fish halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer registers 140 °F (60 °C) at the center and the flesh flakes tenderly off the bone.
9. Remove from the heat, cover tightly, and let rest off the heat for 5 minutes to relax the fish fibers and allow its natural gelatin to enrich the sauce.
10. Finish off the heat by folding in half of the toasted pine nuts, the torn basil, chopped flat-leaf parsley, finely grated lemon zest, and a few grinds of black pepper. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.
11. Plate immediately in warm shallow bowls: spoon a pool of the tomato and raisin sauce onto each plate, set a conger eel steak in the center, and garnish with the remaining toasted pine nuts and a drizzle of raw extra-virgin olive oil.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

574.9 kcal

Protein

44.83 g

Carbohydrate

26.45 g

Fat

31.07 g

Fibre

4.64 g

Calcium

216.03 mg

Iron

4.97 mg

Magnesium

117.86 mg