Always considered a poor fish, this animal is especially appreciated in large size, a characteristic that allows it to be eaten comfortably despite the high quantity of bones. It is an exceptional ingredient in many popular recipes - especially fish soups, broths, grilled and fried.
Of the "biological order Anguilliformes, the conger eels seem to have an entire Suborder ending with the species C. conger. It is widely distributed in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, where it prefers rocky or mixed bottoms, from the surf to abyssal depths; he is an inevitable tenant of all wrecks. In the central-northern Adriatic Sea, especially on the Italian side, where the moray eel is absent but the eel is abundant, it is particularly widespread. It is a sedentary fish that spends almost all of its time inside cavities, caves and ravines; it comes out only at night, almost exclusively to feed. It is a voracious predator of crustaceans, cephalopod molluscs and fish; d " on the other hand it does not disdain carcasses. It is a very shy creature, which hardly gets used to the presence of man; unlike the moray eel, however, it has a normally gregarious attitude even in adulthood. There are not rare cases in which it shares spaces with other specimens such as: another conger, a large lobster, lobster or sea cicada - which it cannot eat - grouper, mostella, bream and corvina.
The conger has the typical shape of eels. Compared to the moray, it has a less developed dorsal and anal fin. The skin of the back is without scales, gray or blackish, while the belly is white; underwater, when illuminated, it may appear pink. It looks more like eel, from which it differs in terms of its decidedly larger eyes. The mouth is very wide, powerful even if equipped with small teeth. The bite of the conger is not forgotten, and if the animal is large it can also be very dangerous.
It is not at risk of extinction; it is fished with many methods, both amateur and professional.
of high biological value, certain vitamins (especially of group B) and minerals (especially bioavailable iron). Furthermore, being a peach product, it also provides specific nutrients such as iodine, vitamin D and semi-essential polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) - biologically more active than the essential alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), typically vegetable Let's go into more detail.The conger is a medium caloric fish; energy is mainly supplied by proteins, followed by lipids, while carbohydrates are totally absent. Conger peptides have a high biological value - that is, they contain all the essential amino acids compared to the human protein model - and unsaturated fatty acids, with great relevance In fact, there are excellent concentrations of polyunsaturated EPA and DHA, biologically active semi-essential omega 3.
Conger contains cholesterol for sure, although the amount is not known. The fibers are instead absent, as well as lactose and gluten. It is a relevant source of purines, as well as phenylalanine amino acid. The histamine level of the well-preserved food should be close to 0.
Conger is an "excellent source of water-soluble vitamins of group B, such as riboflavin (B2), niacin (vit PP), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (vit B6) and cobalamin (vit B12) - the latter present in really important levels. However, being a fish, its main nutritional task is to provide the fat-soluble vitamin D (calciferol); it seems high the contribution of the fat-soluble retinol or equivalent (vit A or RAE) and, exceptionally, of the alpha tocopherol (vit E).
Among the most abundant minerals in the conger stand: selenium, phosphorus, potassium, iron and zinc. On the other hand, being a fishery product, it acquires greater dietary importance due to the iodine concentration.
It is not well known to what extent the conger tends to accumulate environmental pollutants such as mercury and methylmercury. Regarding algal toxins, in our latitudes, it is not normally considered a risk product - especially that of the Mediterranean. Furthermore, being a fish to be eaten exclusively cooked, it does not seem to constitute a primary means of transmission of Anisakis simplex.
The conger eel cooked without oil - for example roasted in its natural state, or boiled, or stewed with the sole addition of tomato - lends itself quite well to slimming diets, which must be low-calorie and normolipidic. The use of conger in the diet to lose weight, it is the same as "not really" lean meats, such as most cuts of beef. In any case, in the case of slimming therapy, it is advisable to limit its consumption to one-off and to adapt to the recommended average portion.
The abundance of proteins with a high biological value makes the conger ideal in the diet for malnourished, defied subjects or those with an increased need for essential amino acids. This type of food is recommended in the case of very high intensity physical activity, especially in strength disciplines. o with a very important hypertrophic muscular component, and for all particularly prolonged aerobic disciplines. The conger is also suitable in case of lactation, pathological intestinal malabsorption and in old age - in which eating disorder and decreased intestinal absorption tend to create a protein deficiency.
EPA and DHA, essential but biologically active polyunsaturated omega 3 seeds, are very important for: the constitution of cell membranes, the development of the nervous system and eyes - in the fetus and children, the prevention and treatment of some metabolic diseases - hypertriglyceridemia, arterial hypertension etc., the maintenance of cognitive functions in old age, the reduction of some symptoms of neurosis - depressive - etc.
Due to the absence of gluten and lactose, the conger eel is relevant in the diet for celiac disease and for milk sugar intolerance. The abundance of purines makes it rather unwanted, in considerable portions, in the nutritional regimen for severe hyperuricemia - with gouty attacks - and for kidney stones or lithiasis caused by uric acid. Well preserved, it has no contraindications for histamine intolerance. The massive presence of phenylalanine precludes its significant use in the diet against phenylketonuria.
The B vitamins have a mainly coenzyme function; this is why the conger can be considered a good source of nutrients that support the cellular functions of all tissues. In particular, given the admirable content of cobalamin, the conger eel could be an excellent food in the diet of pregnant women - a condition in which there is a significant increase in the need for vitamin B12. Vitamin D, on the other hand, is crucial for bone metabolism and the immune system. Note: remember that food sources of vitamin D are very rare. Retinol or vitamin A is necessary to maintain visual function, reproduction, cell differentiation, etc. Carotenoids, or retinol equivalents (RAE), are also antioxidants. Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) also plays a decisive role in the fight against oxidative stress.
Phosphorus, hardly lacking in the diet, is nevertheless one of the main constituents of bone (hydroxyapatite) and nervous (phospholipids) tissue. Zinc constitutes enzymes - some of which are antioxidants - nucleic acids and proteins of various kinds. Selenium is also important for the production of antioxidant enzymes, for the disposal of heavy metals and for the production of thyroid hormones. Iron is essential for the constitution of the heme group of hemoglobin contained in red blood cells - useful for transporting the " oxygen in the blood Finally, iodine is necessary for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland - responsible for regulating cellular metabolism after secreting the hormones T3 and T4.
Conger meat is considered safe, in all respects, in the diet during pregnancy. In any case, in case of an interesting state, it is advisable to prefer meat from safe sources, medium-sized creatures and limit the frequency of consumption by switching it with other fishery products.
The average portion of conger - as a dish - is 100-150 g (160-240 kcal).
up to the apex of the caudal fin it should be eliminated or used to produce broth or fumet. Except for the roast recipes, after evisceration, the conger would also need to be skinned. However - unlike the moray - it is not essential to skin it whole; it is instead possible to remove the skin directly from the slices before cooking them. Eliminating the entrails, the tail , the head and the skin, the edible quantity of the conger decreases significantly (over 50% of the initial).Conger can be cooked in various ways. If cooked by irradiation, compared to leaner fish, it has the advantage of remaining more succulent without drying out. Moreover, if cooked by poaching or boiling in boiling water - thermal conduction from the liquid to the meat - it is decidedly less chewy than the moray, but more tenacious than the common white fish. Note: despite the similarity that unites them, conger eel and eel do not have the same organoleptic and gustatory characteristics.
Conger is excellent especially stewed; to sauté it instead, it becomes important to prolong the cooking by adding other liquid such as white wine, fish broth, fumet or simply water.
If large, it is excellent cut into cubes or slices and fried. It never disappoints stewed in the oven, with tomatoes, potatoes or other vegetables. Famous recipes based on conger are: grilled conger eel, baked conger with potatoes, fish soup, conger broth, conger pizzaiola, mediterranean conger, conger all "acquapazza, fried conger, boiled conger, caciucco and stewed conger .
. The dorsal and anal fins are confluent towards the caudal fin, more developed than the eel but less than the moray. It has two pectoral fins but not the ventral ones.
The conger is considered the largest eel in the world. In the adult state it reaches an average length of 1.5 meters. The maximum size found is instead of about 3 m for 110 kilograms of weight; however, the average of the samples fluctuates between 2.5 and 25 kg. In length it can be surpassed by giant morays, which however tend to be thinner and lighter.
it reduces in mass; the teeth fall out. The females of the conger eel reach sexual maturity at an average length of about 2 m, becoming larger than the males which instead begin to reproduce at a length of about 1.2 m.Conger eels, similar to eels, migrate to breeding areas - both in the Mediterranean and in the Atlantic - although the existence of one or more breeding sites remains uncertain. Female conger eels produce several million eggs. Once hatched, the larvae begin to swim to the shallower waters, where they live to maturity and begin returning to repeat the cycle.
Conger eels have similar habits to moray eels, but are more sociable. They usually live among rocks, in holes, in crevices and in abandoned pipes or inside wrecks. They can easily coexist only with smaller morays, while eels tend to avoid their presence. They come out of burrows at night to hunt. These nocturnal predators feed mainly on fish, cephalopod molluscs and crustaceans, although they can also feed on dead fish.
Almost in no way compromised by professional fishing or by the pressure of predators or biological competitors, the conger population is more than thriving everywhere. For professionals, but also for anglers with rods - bolentino, surf casting etc. - it is in fact an unsolicited catch, even if frequent. The only exception is that of spearfishing, where the underwater hunter engages, from time to time, in the selective collection of "titanic" specimens (specimens weighing 20 kg are not rare). than amateur, the conger represents an unfortunate encounter, even more problematic than the moray, this fish grabs and swallows the bait with almost the whole body inside the den. Having a very powerful musculature and able to swim backwards with the same effectiveness of the forward swimming - peculiarity of the eels - it wins almost all the battles, often dying because of the hook.
However, it must be specified that the scarce presence of the conger eel on the fish banks is not necessarily linked to a low professional harvest. More often caught with longline or trawl rather than with gillnets, this fish too - due to its low commercial value, especially when small in size - is often thrown dead back into the sea.
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