Tips on killing, cleaning and cooking eel 



Here are some directions for killing, 

 cleaning and cooking eel. Next time you 

 catch one, you might try eating it instead of 

 throwing it away. 



Killing and Cleaning 



The simplest way to kill eels is to put 

 them in a deep container, sprinkle them 

 with salt (don't bury them in it!) and add 

 enough water to cover them. Let them soak 

 in the solution two to four hours. 



This method of killing helps remove the 

 slime layer. Newly-killed eels should be 

 thoroughly washed in clean water to re- 

 move the salt and slime. Soak them for a 

 half hour in cold water and then scrape or 

 scrub the eels. A steel bristle brush works 

 best to remove the last traces of the salt 

 and slime. 



After washing, the eels must be gutted. 

 If you recipe calls for skinned eel, it's easier 

 to skin the fish before gutting. To skin it, 

 put a nail through the eel's head and drive 

 the nail in a wooden post or something 

 similar. 



Using a sharp knife, cut through the eel 

 skin three inches behind the head all the 

 way around. Be careful not to cut into the 

 gall bladder which lies behind the head. 

 Turn the skin back and peel it off, using 



pliers if necessary. 



When gutting an eel, sawdust, salt, 

 rough cloth or hands dipped in dry salt wil 

 help you get a firm grip on it. Insert a knif< 

 or sharp-pointed scissors into the vent and 

 cut along the belly line toward the head. 

 Cut up to the gills. 



Cut toward the tail two inches past the 

 vent to expose the kidney. Remove the kid- 

 ney and pull out the large vein along the 

 backbone if possible. Scrub and wash out 

 the gut cavity to remove all traces of blood 

 from the backbone. Rinse the eel in clean 

 water. 



Gutted and cleaned eels may be quick 

 frozen and stored at —20° F. Since eels 

 have a high fat content, they should be 

 packaged to protect against rank odors and 

 flavors and drying out. 



Fried Eels 



Skin the eels. Split them down the middle 

 and clean. Cut in three inch lengths and 

 wipe dry. Roll in crumbs, dip in slightly 

 beaten egg diluted with two tablespoons of 

 water, and roll again in crumbs. Fry in 

 deep hot fat (375° F) three to five minutes. 

 Garnish with parsley and slices of lemon. 



— Gayle Morton 



Eels as food and bait 



( Continued from p. 3) 



Should eel farming prove successful in North 

 Carolina, where could eels be sold? The primary 

 target is the Japanese food market. A Japanese- 

 backed food processor had opened a plant in Swans- 

 boro to package eel for export to his country. Cur- 

 rently, the plant has closed, apparently because of 

 an insufficient and inconsistent eel supply. Eel 



farming could answer those problems. 



Eels are also a popular bait used by sport fisher- 

 men. In the past, eight inch elvers have sold 

 for as much as 50 cents apiece. Sea Grant research- 

 ers aren't sure at this time how eel farming would 

 affect the market price of eel as bait. At this time, 

 the bait market appears to have promise as an 

 alternate outlet for eel, at least on a limited basis, 

 said Rickards. 



— Gayle Morton 



University of North Carolina 

 Sea Grant Program 

 1235 Burlington Laboratories 

 North Carolina State University 

 Raleigh, N. C. 27607 



Raleigh, N. C. 



