Fried Eels
Skin the eels, plunge them in boiling salted water, and keep at boiling point for five minutes. Cut them in pieces about three inches long, and roll in flour or fine cracker crumbs; fry in hot drippings until brown, turning them so they will brown on all sides. Serve with any fish sauce that is liked, preferably one that has lemon juice or vinegar in its composition.
A plain two-stage treatment: a short blanch to firm the flesh and shed some of the fat, then a fry. The whole success of it lies in getting the eel dry before it meets the flour.
- Buying eel nowEel is no longer a cheap staple. European eel is critically endangered and trade in it is restricted; American and Japanese eel are also listed as threatened, so look for farmed or responsibly sourced stock and expect to buy it from a fishmonger or an Asian market rather than a supermarket counter.
- SkinningThe skin is tough and slick. The usual method is to cut through the skin behind the head, grip the loosened edge with a cloth or pliers and pull down toward the tail in one motion. A fishmonger will do it for you and it is worth asking.
- Never taste it rawFresh eel blood contains a protein toxin that irritates the mouth and gut. Cooking destroys it completely, so the finished dish is entirely safe, but do not sample raw flesh and wash cutting boards and hands after handling.
- Why the five-minute blanchEel is very fatty and the boiling water firms the flesh so the pieces hold together in the pan, while rendering off some of that fat. Drain the pieces and dry them thoroughly on a towel before flouring or the coating will slide off.
- DrippingsThis means saved beef or bacon fat. Any fat with a high smoke point works; heat it to about 350-375F, deep enough to come halfway up the pieces, and turn them once each side has set to a firm brown.
- Cracker crumbsThese would have been plain crackers of the period -- soda, water or common crackers -- ground fine. Unseasoned saltines or panko crushed small give the same effect; the recipe says nothing about seasoning the crumbs, so season to taste.
- The sauceThe instruction to choose something acid is the point of the whole dish. Eel is rich to the edge of cloying, and a tartar sauce, a lemon-caper butter or a sharp vinegar-based sauce is what keeps it eatable in quantity.
- YieldNo amount is given. Figure 6 to 8 oz of skinned eel per person as a main course, rather less if it is one of several fish dishes.