Does Chez Clément serve eels in green sauce?

Eels in green sauce (paling in 't groen in Flemish, anguilles au vert in French) is a deeply emblematic Belgian dish from the eastern Flanders and Brussels-Walloon belt. The recipe is built around fresh eel fillets, traditionally river eel from the Scheldt, Lys or Meuse basins, poached gently in a herbaceous green sauce. The colour comes from a generous bouquet of fresh herbs: sorrel, parsley, chervil, tarragon, mint, sage, spinach, sometimes nettles or watercress, all chopped and added late so the sauce stays fluorescent green.

The dish is served cool or just warm, which surprises British diners expecting a hot stew. The texture is delicate and slightly gelatinous, the herb aroma is strikingly garden-fresh, and the seasoning is gently acid (a touch of white wine, a hint of lemon) to balance the eel's natural richness. The classic side is plain boiled potatoes or the same homemade chips found across the brasserie repertoire. It is a dish of high spring and summer in Belgian dining tradition.

Paling in 't groen is a deeply emblematic Belgian dish from the spring-summer brasserie repertoire. The house is anchored in a Belgian bourgeois brasserie identity dating back to 1858 in Genval / La Hulpe, and the kitchen led by Chef Vincent Frédéric De Laloy for thirty years works under an everything-homemade policy. Eels in green sauce is not a guaranteed permanent fixture on Chez Clément's carte, it may appear seasonally according to supply and chef Vincent's suggestions. Call +32 2 652 33 92 to check availability.

For pairings, paling in 't groen calls for a delicate, fragrant, mineral white wine, a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire (Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé), a dry Riesling from Alsace, or a Pessac-Léognan blanc all work beautifully against the herbs. A Belgian gueuze is the classic adventurous alternative (lambics and gueuzes are not on Chez Clément's permanent beverage list, occasional references via the seasonal cellar). Chez Clément's wine cellar, opened in 1976 by Marcel and Andrée, supports the white-wine pairings across the seasons.