Name: Sauce for Baked Conger Eel (Ius in Gongro Asso)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Roman
Ingredients: 1kg baked conger or other eel; 1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper; 1 tsp lovage seeds (or celery seeds); 1/4 tsp toasted cumin seeds; 1/2 tsp dried oregano, crumbled; 2 tbsp onion, finely chopped; 3 hard-boiled egg yolks; 60ml white wine; 1 tbsp mulsum (or mead); 1 tsp cider vinegar; 1 tbsp liquamen; 2 tbsp defritum; 250ml fish stock

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Ius in Gongro Asso (Sauce for Baked Conger Eel)

Ius in Gongro Asso (Sauce for Baked Conger Eel) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for a classic sauce of spiced and herbed onion, white wine, egg yolk, mulsum, vinegar and stock sauce that's intended to be served with baked conger eel. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Sauce for Baked Conger Eel (Ius in Gongro Asso).

prep time

15 minutes

cook time

30 minutes

Total Time:

45 minutes

Serves:

Rating:

Tags : Sauce Recipes Spice Recipes Ancient Roman Recipes

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Original Recipe

Ius in gongro asso (from Apicius' De Re Coquinaria) X, i, 9

Ius in Gongro Asso: piper, ligusticum, cuminum frictum, origanum, cepam siccam, ovorum vitella cocta, vinum, mulsum, acetum, liquamen, defritum, et coques.

Translation

Sauce for Baked Conger Eel: [Pound together] pepper, lovage, toasted cumin, oregano, dried onion, hard-boiled egg yolks, wine, mulsum, vinegar, liquamen and defritum then cook.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

1kg baked conger or other eel

1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1 tsp lovage seeds (or celery seeds)
1/4 tsp toasted cumin seeds
1/2 tsp dried oregano, crumbled
2 tbsp onion, finely chopped
3 hard-boiled egg yolks
60ml white wine
1 tbsp mulsum (or mead)
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp liquamen
2 tbsp defritum
250ml fish stock

Method:

Combine the black pepper, lovage (or celery) seeds, cumin seeds and oregano in a mortar. Pound to grind then work in the onion and egg yolks then pound together. Mix in the white wine, mulsum (or mead), cider vinegar, liquamen and defritum then turn into a pan and whisk in the fish stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook gently for about 25 minutes, or until thickened.

Carefully transfer the fish to a serving dish, pour over the sauce and serve immediately.

Find more recipes from Apicius' De Re Coquinaria along with information on Apicius and his cookbook, all part of this site's Ancient Roman recipes collection.