Eel fish which is known as Unagi in japan is an common cooking ingredient. Most of the people of Asia eat this fish. People make verity of dish with it. It is very popular and common dish in Asian countries. But how it taste? today we find out what does Eel taste like?
What is eel fish?
Eel is a fish which found in freshwater that looks like a snake. It belongs to the family of Anguillidae.
Its skin is very viscous and has only tiny scales, deeply embedded in the skin. These fish grow in rivers.
The length of male fishes is 50 centimeters while the length of females reaches 1 meter. After spending about 10 years in the rivers, eel fishes return to the sea to lay their eggs.
The demand for fish remains high at this time. That time they call it ” silver ” or “descent” eel. They will take 2 years to return to the Sargasso Sea, where they spawn and die.
When to eat eel Fish?
Eel is eaten mainly during the months of January, February, March, April, October, November and December; it is the high season for eel eating in May, June, July, August and September.
How to choose the eel?
Eel is a fairly little eaten fish in Europe, compared to Asia. This may be due to his snake appearance, which may put some off.
It is marketed in different forms: fillet, smoked, marinated, jelly, canned or fresh.
To ensure the freshness of an eel, check that its colours are crisp, that it has a shiny and gooey appearance. The slimy mucus that covers it is a sign of freshness.
How to store eel?
Like all fish, eel should be eaten as soon as possible after purchase, preferably the same day.
What is Unagi?
It is a Japanese word for eel fish. Japanese people call freshwater eel fish as unagi. Don’t be confuse with saltwater eel fish or Anago. It is very common ingredient for Japanese people for cooking.
Freshwater eel is served as Nigiri (individual pieces of fish on rice balls) while saltwater eel served as sushi or deep-fried(tempura).
How to cook and taste eel fish?
Sold fresh, the youngest eels can just be cleaned. On the other hand, you will have to strip the larger ones before preparing them, because their skin is hard.
But for that you have to wait until the last moment, because the eel deteriorates quickly and its blood can then present risks.
It does indeed contain a toxin, the harmful effects of which fortunately disappear when cooked.
This stripping operation is not obvious. First of all, you have to clean and dry the eel.
We then cut the skin just behind the head to peel off a fragment, which will allow you to pull on all the rest of the skin.
It is sometimes necessary to bring a cloth to be able to pull on this piece of skin, which can be slippery. The eel is then generally cut into sections.
The most common way to prepare fresh eel is in matelot, that is, cooked in wine. It can also be poached, sautéed, cooked on skewers or in a stew. Smaller eels can be grilled.
The fresh eel is also part of the composition of many regional preparations.
One of its most popular methods of preparation is the ” green ” eel. For this, medium-sized eels are taken and cut into sections of about 6 cm. We first melt in butter sorrel, spinach, parsley, tarragon, and a little sage, after having chopped all these vegetables. Then add the pieces of eel, thyme and bay leaf, then, later, a glass of dry white wine.
At the end of cooking, add cream, lemon juice and two egg yolks.
The smoked eel is served as an appetizer, accompanied by rye bread and lemon. Scandinavians and people in northern Germany are very fond of it.
The pebbles (very young eels) can be cooked in a pan. Their method of preparation also depends on the regions.
In Brittany, they are simply pocketed in boiling water, then served with a salad accompanied by a vinaigrette sauce. In Charente-Maritime, they are browned over high heat in butter with finely chopped garlic.
For 4 people, count an eel weighing 1 or 2 kilos of small eels. Count 100 g of pibals per person.
What does Eel taste like?
now many people ask how does an eel fish taste like? There are some other questions like:
what does an Eel sauce taste like?
what does Eel sushi taste like?
what does smoked eel taste like etc.
Unagi aka freshwater water eel fish filled with high nutritious and rich protein, it contains vitamin A and Calcium. According to some people it does taste like sweet, a bit like bass. A properly cooked eel should be soft, fluffy and flaky looks good on the plate. It doesn’t leave any kind of fishy or earthy type of taste after eating.
What does an eel fish look like?
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