eel, eels eel recipes,bbq grills, cutlery, kitchen aids, cookbooks, slow cookers
               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 excellent 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         
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

We Offer a Free Meat Newsletter
Keep up to date on new meat topics.
Consumer tips and recipes.
MeatnPlace News is published monthly
Subscribe

About Us | |Sitemap | Retailers Join Now || Retail Meat Manual | Meat Spreadsheets | STORE|  E-Mail|
Privacy Policy  Meatnplace Disclaimer  Terms Of Use