Try this I Hope Eel Like It recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 79.1311 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 8.64975 g
- Fiber 2.726000020504 g
- Protein 2.435 g
- Saturated Fat 1.2056 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (390g)
- Sodium 94.81475 mg
- Sugar 76.405099979496 g
- Trans Fat 0.285162499999998 g
- Calories 418 calories
Step-by-step
- Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for 15 minutes, until tender and drain.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan, add the eel fillets and cook for a few minutes on each side until heated through.
- Place the spinach in a bowl, season, drizzle over 1 tbsp olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar and toss together.
- Pile the spinach onto a plate, arrange the potatoes around the edge and top with some of the sauted eel.
- Thinly slice the chilli and quarter the leek. Place the sugar in a pan with the white wine vinegar and half the chilli, bring to the boil and simmer rapidly until thickened and syrupy.
- Cool slightly and place in a mini food processor and blitz until smooth. Cut the remaining leek into 5cm lengths and par-boil for three minutes in a pan of boiling water, and drain well.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a griddle pan, add the leeks and cook for a few minutes on each side, or until browned and tender.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan, add the sliced leek and remaining chilli and soften for a few minutes.
- Add a dash of balsamic vinegar and a dash of sherry and pour in the syrup. Pile the chargrilled leeks onto a plate with the remaining sauted eels and drizzle over some chilli dressing.
Smoked eel fillets rest alongside charred leeks, waxy new potatoes, and raw spinach, slicked with a sharp reduction of white wine vinegar, sugar, and red chili. Observers often expect total culinary disaster given the erratic pairing of smoked fish with a heavy sugar syrup, yet careful execution rescues the dish. Getting the components right requires ignoring vague instructions and trusting strict visual markers.
- Boil the new potatoes in heavily salted water for precisely 15 minutes before draining; test doneness by piercing the center with a paring knife, which should slide through meeting zero resistance.
- Heat the smoked eel fillets in the frying pan for only two minutes per side because overcooking renders the delicate fish dry and unpalatably rubbery.
- Boil the sugar and white wine vinegar mixture until large, sluggish bubbles form and the liquid coats the back of a spoon into a syrupy consistency.
- Grill the leeks in a hot pan until distinct char marks appear, signaling that the natural sugars have caramelized sufficiently to offset the sharp acidity of the vinegar.
Acid counteracts rich proteins by cleaving fat molecules on the palate, which explains why the aggressive vinegar syrup manages to cut through the oily smoked fish. Precision during the boiling and grilling stages prevents the dish from collapsing into an unbalanced mess.
