How to Cook Eel

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]

  • 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]

  • 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
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Making Roasted Eel

  1. Image titled Cook Eel Step 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. Image titled Cook Eel Step 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.
    Advertisement
  3. Image titled Cook Eel Step 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. Image titled Cook Eel Step 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. Image titled Cook Eel Step 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. Image titled Cook Eel Step 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.
    7. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Making Smoked Eel

  1. Image titled Cook Eel Step 7
    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. Image titled Cook Eel Step 8
    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. Image titled Cook Eel Step 9
    3
    Preset the smoker to 185 °F (85 °C). Eel meat is delicate and needs to be smoked at a low temperature.
  4. Image titled Cook Eel Step 10
    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. Image titled Cook Eel Step 11
    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. Image titled Cook Eel Step 12
    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. Image titled Cook Eel Step 13
    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. Image titled Cook Eel Step 14
    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.
    9. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Making Fried Eel Filets

  1. Image titled Cook Eel Step 15
    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.[3] Leave the skin on the eel.
    • If the filets still have the head and tail attached, cut these parts off and discard them.
  2. Image titled Cook Eel Step 16
    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.[4]
  3. Image titled Cook Eel Step 17
    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. Image titled Cook Eel Step 18
    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. Image titled Cook Eel Step 19
    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. Image titled Cook Eel Step 20
    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. Image titled Cook Eel Step 21
    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.
    8. Advertisement

You Might Also Like

Tell if Fish Has Gone Bad
How to
Tell if Fish Has Gone Bad
Purge Crawfish
How to
Purge Crawfish
Eat a Crawfish
How to
Eat a Crawfish
Cook Basa Fillets
How to
Cook Basa Fillets
How to
Cook Haddock
Cook Grouper
How to
Cook Grouper
How to
Cook Frozen Scallops
Clean/Gut a Fish
How to
Clean/Gut a Fish
How to
Eat Mussels
How to
Poach Fish in Milk
3 Delicious Ways to Cook Wahoo (Ono)
Cook Redfish
How to
Cook Redfish
How to
Cook Catfish
How to
Cook Fish Roe
Advertisement

References

  1. ↑ http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/05/whole-roasted-eel-recipe.html
  2. ↑ https://www.finedininglovers.com/recipes/main-course/fried-fish-recipe/
  3. ↑ https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/how-to-cook/how-to-fillet-eel
  4. ↑ https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/how-to-cook/how-to-fillet-eel
  5. ↑ https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/how-to-cook/how-to-fillet-eel

About This Article

Daniel Siriban
Co-authored by:
Daniel Siriban
Japanese Personal Chef
This article was co-authored by Daniel Siriban. Daniel Siriban is a Japanese Personal Chef and the Owner of Roshi Experience. With over 18 years of culinary experience, he specializes in sushi, teppanyaki, and traditional Japanese dining. Daniel holds an AA in Restaurant, Culinary, and Catering Management from The Art Institute of California, Orange County. This article has been viewed 65,937 times.
3 votes - 100%
Co-authors: 5
Updated: January 8, 2023
Views: 65,937
Categories: Fish and Seafood
Article SummaryX

To fry eel filets, leave the skin on the filets and cut them into 6 cm chunks. Place the chunks in a colander and rinse them off with cold water. Next, roll each chunk in a mixture of white and corn flour, and fry them on low heat for 10 minutes. Cover them while they cook to prevent hot oil from splattering, and place the fried eels on paper towels to cool. To cook eel in the oven, pat it dry with paper towels and rub salt into it. Then cook it at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes. If you want to learn how to make smoked eel, keep reading the article!

Did this summary help you?
Advertisement