How to Cook Eel

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methods

Ingredients

1Making Roasted Eel

2Making Smoked Eel

3Making Fried Eel Filets

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Tips and Warnings

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References

Article Summary

8 Recipe Ratings

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Eel is a delicious source of flaky, sweet meat, which can be prepared in various ways. If you’re purchasing eel from a supermarket, you can cook the eel as soon as you bring it home. Cook the eel by roasting it in your oven, smoking it, or frying it in a pan on your stove.

Ingredients

Roasted Eel

• 1 eel filet
• 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of salt
• 3 teaspoons (15 mL) of vegetable oil

Smoked Eel

• 1 eel filet
• Apple or alder wood chips
• 1 quart (0.95 L) of water
• ¹⁄₄ cup (59 mL) of salt

Fried Eel Filets

• 2 eel filets
• 50 grams (1.8 oz) of corn flower
• 100 grams (3.5 oz) of white flower
• 2 bay leaves
• ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of peanut oil
• salt

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making Roasted Eel

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1. 
   1
   Preheat your oven to 375 °F (191 °C). Preheating the oven before you prepare the eel will allow oven to get up to its proper temperature before you put the eel in.
2. 
   2
   Pat the eel dry using paper towels. In case there is any residual blood or water within the eel’s body cavity, use 1 or 2 paper towels to dry out the inside of the eel.

   • Throw these paper towels away immediately.
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3. 
   3
   Rub 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of salt over the eel. Use your hands to massage the salt over the eel’s flesh. Fully coat both the outside and the inside of the eel with salt.

   • Modify this measurement for the number of eels you’re roasting. So, if you’re preparing 3 eels, you’ll need 3 teaspoons (15 ml) of salt total.
4. 
   4
   Place the eel into a cast iron skillet. Drizzle with 3 teaspoons (15 mL) of vegetable oil. If you don’t have vegetable oil, olive oil makes a suitable replacement.

   • Alternatively, if you have a roasting pan, you can place the eel in this to roast.
5. 
   5
   Put the skillet in the oven and roast the eel for 25-30 minutes. When the eel is cooked, the skin will be browned and ready to eat.

   • Once 25 minutes have passed, keep a close watch on the eel to ensure that it doesn’t begin to blacken and burn.
6. 
   6
   Serve the roast eel immediately. Top the eel with lemon, salt and pepper, and any other sauce or garnish that you enjoy.

   • Place leftovers into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. The eel should keep for 3 or 4 days.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making Smoked Eel

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1. 
   1
   Prepare a brine to soak the eel. Combine 1 quart (0.95 L) of water with ¹⁄₄ cup (59 mL) of salt. Make the brine in a large bowl or Tupperware container.

   • Once you’ve made the basic brine, add whatever herbs you’d like to flavor the eel. Appropriate herbs include oregano, rosemary, or parsley.
   • For additional flavor, add a squeeze of lemon juice to the brine. Add this to taste.
2. 
   2
   Soak the eel in brine overnight in your fridge. Fully submerge the eel in the container of brine and place it in the refrigerator. Let it soak undisturbed for a night.

   • If you soak the eel during the day instead, make sure that it soaks in brine for a full 8-10 hours.
3. 
   3
   Preset the smoker to 185 °F (85 °C). Eel meat is delicate and needs to be smoked at a low temperature.
4. 
   4
   Place apple or alder wood chips in the smoking box. Alder and apple are both mild, sweet woods that will complement the light flavor of the eel.

   • If you’d like to make sure that the temperature in the smoker stays low, smoke the wood chips before placing them in the smoker.
5. 
   5
   Hang the eel filets to smoke. If your smoker is equipped to hang meats for smoking, hang the eel filets.

   • If the eels’ heads are still attached, tie a thin rope around the heads and hang the filets by the head to smoke.
6. 
   6
   Lay the eel filets belly-up on the smoking rack if you can’t hang the filets. If your smoker doesn’t have the capability to hang meat for smoking, lay your eel filets flat instead. Positioning them with the belly side up will allow the tender interior of the filet to cook through.

   • To make sure that the back and sides of the filets cook as well, try placing the eel on a baking sheet.
7. 
   7
   Smoke the eel for 90 minutes. Eel filets are light, delicate meat, and will smoke relatively quickly. Keep an eye on the filets as they cook to make sure that they don’t burn. Pull the filets out of the smoker once they’ve turned flaky and browned.
8. 
   8
   Serve the filets immediately. Since the filets will have been smoking at a relatively low temperature, they won’t need to cool before you can begin to eat them.

   • Store leftover smoked eel in an airtight bag or plastic container in your refrigerator. It will keep for 3-4 days.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Fried Eel Filets

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1. 
   1
   Cut the filets into 6 cm (2.4 in) chunks. Use a small sharp kitchen knife to slice both eel filets into pieces for frying. Leave the skin on the eel.

   • If the filets still have the head and tail attached, cut these parts off and discard them.
2. 
   2
   Rinse the eel chunks under cold water. Place the sliced eel pieces into a colander, and rinse them off in your kitchen sink. Rinse the eel under cold water from the tap.

   • Lightly toss the eel while you’re rinsing it to ensure that it’s fully rinsed.
   • Pat the filets dry before using them for cooking.
3. 
   3
   Combine the two types of flour. In a large mixing bowl, combine 50 grams (1.8 oz) of corn flower and 100 grams (3.5 oz) of white flower.

   • Both types of flour will be available at your local grocery store.
4. 
   4
   Roll the eel filet chunks in the flour mixture. Pick up the eel pieces individually and set each one in the bowl of flour. Use your fingers to roll the eel chunk over in the flour mixture until all sides are fully coated.

   • After rolling a piece of eel in the flour mixture, set it aside on a clean bowl or plate until you’re ready to start frying.
5. 
   5
   Pour ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of peanut oil into a large skillet. Also pull out a lid for the skillet. You’ll want to keep the eel covered while it’s frying, so that hot peanut oil doesn’t splatter.

   • You can purchase peanut oil at a local supermarket.
6. 
   6
   Fry the eels over low heat for 10 minutes. Since eel is a delicate meat, high heat will cause the filet pieces to burn. To keep the heat low, set the burner to 3 or 4. Place the floured eel pieces into the oil, and use a fork or tongs to turn them over every 2 or 3 minutes. Remember to replace the lid on the skillet after every time you flip the eel pieces.

   • The eel will be cooked through inside after 10 minutes.
7. 
   7
   Place the fried eels on paper towels to cool. Paper towels will absorb extra peanut oil that may still be on the eel pieces. Let them cool for about 5 minutes.

   • Once the eels have cooled, sprinkle them to taste with salt and serve immediately.
   • Store leftover fried eel in an airtight plastic container. Keep it chilled in your refrigerator.
   • You can also make eel sauce. Use eel carcass or bones to make the broth.
   • Add soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.
   • Then cook it to make a concentrated sauce.
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Tips

• You can also use eels in sushi if you'd like!
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• Cleaned eel filets will be sold at most large supermarkets. If you’re struggling to find eel filets, check in a nearby Asian grocery store.
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