AI-generated
Paling in ’t groen — eel in green herb sauce with white wine
Log in or create a free account to save recipes.
Source: https://recipheon.com/en/recipes/main-dishes/paling-in-t-groen-eel-in-green-herb-sauce-with-white-wine
About this recipe
Paling in ’t groen is Belgian eel in a vivid green sauce of fresh herbs, white wine, and butter. Gently simmered fish combines with spinach, parsley, mint, and pleasantly tart sorrel. The greens go into the sauce toward the end to preserve their fresh aroma. Ask the fishmonger to clean and portion the eel: this recipe starts with chilled pieces without skin that still contain the backbone. The fish must be thoroughly cooked before the brief green-sauce finish. The quantities make four servings of eel with all the sauce, without additional side dishes. Allow about 1 hour and 25 minutes; thicker pieces may need longer cooking.
Ingredients
Eel and sauce base
1000 g raw chilled eel, skinned and gutted by the fishmonger, without the head, fins, or thin tail tip, with the backbone; weighed after cleaning, in sections about 6 cm long and about 2.5–4 cm in diameter
100 g raw shallot, weighed after peeling
8 g raw garlic, weighed after peeling
50 g unsalted butter, divided into 30 g for the base and 20 g to finish the sauce
200 ml dry white wine
400 ml ready-to-use strained liquid fish stock without solid pieces, not concentrate
4 g salt plus up to 2 g for final seasoning as needed
0.5 g ground black pepper
Green sauce
150 g fresh spinach leaves, weighed after removing tough stems and washing
50 g fresh parsley leaves and tender stems, weighed after trimming and washing
10 g fresh mint leaves, weighed after washing
40 g fresh sorrel leaves, weighed after removing tough stems and washing
1.5 l blanching water, discarded after use; cold water used to briefly cool the greens is also discarded
Steps
Keep the eel refrigerated until you start. Pat the fishmonger-prepared sections dry with paper towels, check that no loose bone fragments remain, and remove any you find. Finely chop the shallot and crush the garlic. Have ready a deep skillet or wide pot about 28 cm in diameter with a lid, large enough to hold the fish in one layer, and an immersion blender with a tall container.
Melt 30 g butter over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook gently for about 5 minutes until translucent, then add the garlic for about 30 seconds. Arrange the fish, sprinkle with 4 g salt, and warm for about 3 minutes, turning gently, without browning. Pour in all the wine, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook without a lid for about 3–4 minutes.
Pour in all the stock and wait until the liquid returns to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for about 25–30 minutes from that point, turning the pieces halfway through. The liquid should bubble gently, and the fish must be thoroughly cooked even at the backbone; the flesh should come away from the bones easily. For thicker pieces, extend the gentle cooking instead of relying solely on the clock or a change in color. Do not serve eel raw.
AI-generated While the fish cooks, bring 1.5 l water to a boil in another pot. Add all the spinach, parsley, and mint, wait for the boil to return, and blanch for about 20–30 seconds until the leaves soften. Transfer to a sieve, rinse briefly with cold water, and drain very well, pressing lightly with a spoon; discard the blanching and cooling water. Keep the sorrel separate for now, without blanching it.
Transfer the fully cooked fish to a clean plate and cover loosely. If the liquid in the pan is very thin, simmer it without a lid for about 3–5 minutes before adding the herbs. Put the drained greens and all the sorrel in a tall container, add a few tablespoons of hot liquid taken from the pan, and blend into a smooth puree. Add the puree to the remaining liquid, add the remaining 20 g butter and the pepper; off the heat, briefly blend with the immersion blender until the sauce is uniformly green and fluid.
Return all the fish to the sauce along with the juices from the plate. Warm over low heat for about 2–3 minutes until everything is hot; avoid a long, vigorous boil of the green sauce. Taste and add up to 2 g salt as needed. Divide all the eel and all the sauce among four servings and serve immediately. Set aside the backbone and remaining bones as you eat.
Estimated nutrition
Rate this recipe
0 ratings
Comments