“How To Eat Fried Eel”

Every now and then, I like to try my hand at cooking up something a little ‘outside the box’. Eel seemed to fit that criteria.  Mind you my youngest must have warned of the dangers of ocean food and radiation over a thousand times in the course of my meal preparation. And he may be right. However, I simply couldn’t resist the urge to try. (In hindsight: Chasing them around the house with a giant squishy dead eel, may have been a bit much.) And the insurance guy coming over in mid-‘fish odor’, didn’t help the situation. But, all in all, I feel it turned out amazing, although I never have been a big fish eater and therefore: I probably won’t be doing it again any time soon.

I began with one giant fresh eel.

After boning and slicing the fillets into bite size portions, I used a light fish breading. Coating the eel in egg first.

After adding about an inch of oil to my pot, I brought it to a thick crispy bubble. I fried them to a deep golden brown.

For a dipping sauce, I heated butter, garlic and a few mild herbs.

For my side, I chose mushrooms, onions and tomatoes.

And honestly, the taste was magnificent! The meat was tender, the breading crispy and the sauce really brought out the flavor.

Sadly, the children just couldn’t stomach the idea of Eel. Maybe it was the fact that they watched the complete process. If they only knew where those burgers and nuggets came from!