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Welcome
to the MeatnPlace.
Five
stages of eel life | Stewed
Eels |Grilled Eel
Fried
Eel (Capitone Fritto) |Eel
Florentine
ALL ABOUT EELS.
I
remember, growing up
in Ireland, eating eels my grandmother had hung up the chimney to smoke
,in the days of big, open fireplaces :-), cut into sections about 3"-4"
long, breaded and deep fried...a unique taste experience and very
nutritious.
The
eel has a pleasant taste, whether boiled, fried or smoked.
Before cooking, the thick, tough skin and outer layer of fat must be
removed
Fresh eel should be refrigerated and used within a day or two.
It’s excelled baked, stewed or grilled. Eel is also available
jellied in cans or smoked.
Although considered a fatty fish, the eel is high in vitamins A and D,
as well as being a very good source of protein.
No
one
knows exactly where eels spawn, but the smallest larvae are found in
the Sargasso Sea, south of Bermuda, and it is thought most eels spawn
in this area.
After spawning is completed and eggs hatch, billions of tiny larvae
become entrained in the Gulf Stream, Florida Current and Antilles
Current. The larvae, called leptocephali, are transparent and shaped
like a willow leaf. They can orient themselves and change positions in
the water column, but ocean currents dictate their path the
Gulf of Mexico and wander into estuaries of the Gulf Coast or Central
America. Others will be taken northward by the strong Gulf
Stream, into the Labrador Current and turn south toward Newfoundland
and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, or north to Greenland.
Whether to warm tropical rivers or icy northern waters eels go with the
flow and can not do much about it.
The five
stages
of
eel life are: Top of Page
1)
The larvae, called
leptocephali
2) Glass eels, are so named because they are transparent and
lack pigmentation. Glass eels are stronger swimmers and as currents
take them close to the continental shelf and coastal waters, they will
swim toward the coast and seek out estuaries.
3)
Elvers
(3' to 5" long) , after entering
estuaries they complete the pigmentation.
They swim up rivers as the tide rises and go to the bottom as the tide
ebbs, this makes them strong swimmers and helps them to grow.
4) Yellow eels, mature eels, often spend years in a watershed, they
travel hundreds of miles, some remain in estuaries for some years,
mostly male eels, and then return to the sea.
Female eels, much bigger than the males, swim far inland to rivers and
lakes.
The eels from the northern area are larger and older and the females
produce many more eggs than their mid-Atlantic cousins.
Eels prey on invertebrates while large sea birds, fish and mammals eat
eels.
5)
Silver
eels, When they return to the Sargasso
sea they turn color into a black-gold or bronze color, their eyes get
bigger and their skin gets thicker. this is the final stage of life
Eels avoid light and travel at night or in extreme dark, sunless days
towards the sea, they swim deep in the ocean where light does not
penetrate.
Not
much
is known about how they spawn, how deep
or how they react within the huge numbers in the spawning
grounds.
The concensus is they are declining in numbers, since they come from a
single breeding population and have to go where the current takes them.
Anguilla rostrata are the American eels and Anguilla anguilla are the
european eels
Polluted
waters and man made barriers, such as
hydro-electric schemes, have contributed to the death of countless eels
plus commercial weirs and nets have trapped elvers as they try to swim
up steams, silver eels as they try to reach the sea and mature yellow
eels in freshwater rivers and lakes, it's unknown how many never return
to the Sargasso sea due to these causes.
Eels are hard to manage, and thus restore numbers, because of the vast
geographical distances they travel, they do not, like salmon, return to
the same place each year because of the aforementioned current problems.
Hydro-Electric
companies could help immensely by
providing canals or safe waterways around the the turbines, I'm sure
this will happen through legislation.
The same thing applies to dams, there has to be a narrow waterway to
allow eels to go around dams.
Stewed Eels
Top of Page
Eels
were once very
cheap and plentiful and were popular food in the poorer area of East
End of London
Ingredients
Serves: 6
2 Large Eels
2-3 Onions, finely sliced
1 oz Butter
1 oz Plain flour
10 fl oz Stock
Salt and cayenne pepper
Pinch Grated nutmeg
Few Whole allspice
2 Bay leaves
5 oz port wine
Squeeze Lemon
Few sprigs Parsley, chopped
Directions
Skin the eels and cut them into pieces about 3-4 inches long.
Soften the onions in the butter. Stir in the flour, add the stock, a
little at a time to begin with, to make a smooth sauce, add the
seasoning, bay leaves, port wine and pieces of eel.
Simmer covered for about 45 minutes. Taste the sauce and add a squeeze
of lemon juice if you like.
Serve in a dish with fried bread and a sprinkling of chopped parsley on
top.
CAPITONE
FRITTO (Fried Eel) Top
of Page
Ingredients
2 lbs. of eel-skinned, and cleaned
1/2 cup of olive oil
flour
1 tsp. of rosemary
salt, and pepper
Directions
Cut eel lengthwise into 4 inch pieces
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and rosemary
Dredge in flour
Fry until golden brown on all sides
GRILLED
EEL
2
lbs. of eel, cleaned,
skinned, and cut into 2 inch pieces
bay leaves
salt, and pepper
lemon wedges
Thread eel onto skewers with a bay leaf in the middle of each skewer
Place skewers on rack on a hot grill
Cook until browned on all sides
Serve with lemon wedges
EEL
FLORENTINE
Top of Page
Ingredients
2
lbs.
of eel, cleaned, skinned, and cut into 2
inch pieces
2/3 cup of olive oil
2 garlic cloves-crushed
1 tsp. of sage
bread crumbs
salt, and pepper
Directions
Place eel in a bowl, and sprinkle with salt,pepper, and a drizzle of
olive oil
Refrigerate for 2 hours
Coat eel with bread crumbs
Heat oil in a casserole/saute with garlic, and sage
Add eel in a single layer, and bake at 350°F for 40 minutes
Top
of Page
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