We have the good fortune to be going to New Zealand soon--gawd, are we excited!!!!!!! Anyway, due to the circumstances of the trip, it sounds like the only time I'll get to fish is in a river where the most likely catch is eels--maybe trout. I've had eel in a sushi joint and liked it, but...a freshly caught eel is another story. Are they easy to clean and cook?
When I was 12 or so in Naples, Italy, I was in the bathroom facing away from the shower/tub which was behind me. As I was taking care of business, I heard some faint splashes behind me. As I finished up, my Grandmother came through the door on my left and headed straight for the tub behind me. Hearing her pushing the curtain aside, I turned and realized that the tub was full of water, and full of Eels...swimming around in the tub. She reached in, grabbed one with her bare hands, and headed for the door. I followed. Into the kitchen, she threw it on the counter, pulled out a large knife in one move, and began to chop it into quarter size pieces as it squirmed alive on the counter. By the handful, she threw the pieces into boiling oil (or water?) and made us dinner. I have very few memories of my grandmother, and that is one of them.
Many eons ago I worked at a fishing resort and every once in a while someone would want us to clean an eel they caught. First, clean them right away. They are slippery buggers, so you need some good gloves or a towel to hold on. I found a towel worked best for me. Right behind the gills, cut all the way around the eel, and then try and peel the skin towards the tail.
Better yet, throw them back or use chucks as bait for something better.
More or less what Donw said. My wifes knows this. Cut the head off at an angle - that will get the guts. Then skin by grabbing it with some pliers and pulling it back.
I’ve seen them drive a nail through their heads to hold them for cleaning. In Rhode Island they used to smoke them at the smoke house. An Italian or Portuguese delicacy?
Seen them done nailed to a tree to skin before smoking. Eel is one of the very few foods that I would eat if it was presented to me on a plate, but if I had to clean the ugly, slimy, squirmy creature there's no way I'm putting it in my mouth! I used to cut the line rather than touch them when I caught them on Lake Ontario, and I'm not usually squeamish!
For the Japanese it’s a delicacy known as Unagi. It’s typically grilled or smoked with a sweet/savory sauce made from sugar, soy, mirin and a little sake. I love them served with sushi rice. Cleaning is a challenge as mentioned.
My Dutch relatives thought eel (saltwater variety) from the Noordzee was a treat. One of the days we were out with them, they had left an "eel stew" simmering while we went out touring. When we returned, they served it.
I thought it tasted really good, and so did my wife. Then, she found out what it was. She ate the rest of the eel on her plate very quickly (to be done with it and enjoy the rest of the food). Relatives thought she really liked it, so they picked out the rest of it in the pot and gave all of it to her! I helped eat it, but I've heard about it for the last 25 years. Last time was this morning, and I didn't even bring the subject up.
It came up because someone gave us an authentic German (from Germany) Dresdner Christstollen as a Christmas gift.
Eel should be smoked. We eat it a lot in Sweden. It is way fattier than a duck. To me, eel is the marine equivalent of pork belly. They take forever to kill, but we smoke them with the skin on. The skin is very easy to remove once smoked. The flavor is great. But with all that grease you need schnapps (or a shot of vodka) to go with it.
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