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Eel in Beer
3 TABLESPOONS BUTTER 2 TABLESPOONS FLOUR 3 CUPS LIGHT BEER I SMALL ONION, SLICED 14 LEMON, SLICED 1/4 TEASPOON PEPPER I CLOVE I DASH NUTMEG I SMALL BAY LEAF I PARSLEY SPRIG SALT Cut skinned eel in serving pieces, and remove bones. Melt butter, stir in flour and work smooth. Add beer and bring to boiling point, stirring constantly until thickened. Add eel and remaining ingredients and cook gently 20-30 minutes, or until eel is done. Serve with its own sauce.
A German-style eel stew, thickened with a beer roux and finished as its own sauce. The whole thing hangs on not overcooking the fish.
- Buying eelAsk the fishmonger to kill, skin and cut it; eel is difficult to skin at home and must be very fresh, as it spoils quickly. Much of the eel now sold is farmed, usually in short cross sections. The European eel is under trade restriction in some markets, so what is available may be Japanese or American eel instead.
- BoningThe instruction to remove bones before cooking is optional and awkward on raw eel. It is far easier to cook the sections on the bone and lift the central spine out at the table; the flesh comes away cleanly once cooked.
- The beer"Light beer" here means pale in colour, not reduced-calorie. A German helles, pilsner or Kolsch is right. Anything strongly hopped turns bitter as it reduces, and dark beer overwhelms the fish.
- Roux and beerCook the flour in the butter a minute or two before adding liquid, and add the beer gradually off the heat to avoid lumps. Beer foams hard when it hits a hot pan, so use a wide pan and expect it to climb.
- TimingEel is fatty and forgiving, but 30 minutes is the outer limit for small pieces. Check at 15 minutes: the flesh should be opaque and pull from the bone. Beyond that it turns woolly and the sauce takes on the grain of the fish.
- The clove and bayOne clove is enough for three cups of liquid; two will dominate. Fish the clove, bay leaf, parsley and lemon slices out before serving, and taste for salt only at the end, since the sauce reduces.
- YieldThe recipe gives no quantity of eel; three cups of sauce will carry roughly 2 lb, which would serve about four as a main course with boiled potatoes or dark bread. It is rich, and small portions suit it.