After photographing this eel, we quickly killed it and skinned it. Skinning eels is really easy, simply cut the fish around the the head and hold it by the mouth with a pair of pliers. Some people nail them to trees, but we decided that was a bit much.
Once the eel has been cut all the way around grab the skin with another pair of pliers and pull hard. The skin will come off like an old sock. Some people make leather out of the eels skin, feel free to to that and let us know how it goes!
After bringing the eel back to Dave's house we chopped it into manageable pieces rolled it in flour and seasoning and fried it in hot oil. This is what was recommended by pretty near everyone we talked to and the eel smelt yummy. People also warned us that the eel would squirm in the pan, and to our dismay that didn't happen.
After the fish was thoroughly cooked we dove in. Clay got the tail and Dave chose a more interior piece.
As our title indicated we were really disappointed, The eel was tough and flavorless, what a shame, this may be a fish we need a re-do on, maybe a real eel chef could cook one up for us sometime.
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ReplyDeleteI was told by a life long fisherman/hunter once, that eels taste best when caught in the winter time while they're hibernating (do they hibernate?) in the muck under the ice. You need to punch through the ice and use a hook like device to snag them off the bottom. Have you seen or heard of this?
ReplyDeleteYup, we've seen this, in the same waters that people smelt fish, you can see people poking the around in the holes with long spears looking for eels. Maybe next winter we'll give that a shot, after all we do own a spear now thanks to the white sucker! Thanks for the comment Eric we appreciate the support!
ReplyDeleteyou should try it prepared like Unagi, with Unagi sauce. its the Japanese term for Broiled fresh water eel. youtube the cooking videos for Unagi, and you will get a good idea of how to kill, skin, and cook properly. Unagi is the best sushi I have ever had!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice, we've had good experience eating eel in the past, and love this as sushi, we take full responsibility for the badly cooked eel and if we decide to eat another will take your advice! Thanks for the comment!
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