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Smoked eel
Węgorz wędzony: Masurian eel hot-smoked over alder wood, eaten cold with horseradish
Fish smokehouses dot the shores of the Great Masurian Lakes, and an eel hot-smoked over alder, golden-skinned and glistening, is the prize of any summer trip to Węgorzewo or Ruciane-Nida. The flesh is rich, soft and smoky-sweet, and it is eaten cold on rye bread with grated horseradish and a squeeze of lemon. European wild eel is endangered, so buy farmed eel from a responsible fishmonger, ready gutted. This is a fully hot-smoked version: the fish is brined in the fridge and cooked through in the smoker. Smoked fish can carry listeria if it is not cooked through or kept cold, so it is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system unless reheated until steaming. Many home smokers run the heat too low throughout, which leaves the eel smoky but undercooked. Chef's tip: ready hot-smoked eel from a lakeside smokehouse is the easy route; just serve it well chilled with the same garnishes.
- Total time
- 240 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the brine
- 3 ⅓ lb whole farmed eels, gutted, skin onabout 3 eels
- 3 ½ oz coarse salt for cleaning
- 8 ¼ cups cold water
- 5 ½ oz salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
For smoking
- 1 ⅛ lb alder wood chips or chunksfor a hot smoker
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
To serve
- 4 tbsp grated horseradish (optional)
- 6 gluten-free bread or rye bread (optional)slices; rye is not gluten free
- 1 lemon (optional)wedges
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Rub the 3 ⅓ lb whole farmed eels, gutted, skin on firmly with the 3 ½ oz coarse salt for cleaning, a handful at a time, to strip off the slime, then rinse well under cold running water. Repeat until the skin no longer feels slippery.
15 minStep 2: Stir the 5 ½ oz salt and 2 tbsp sugar into the cold 8 ¼ cups cold water until dissolved, add the 3 bay leaves and 1 tsp black peppercorns, and submerge the eels. Cover and brine in the fridge for 90 minutes.
90 minStep 3: Rinse the eels, pat dry, rub the skin lightly with the 1 tbsp vegetable oil and hang or lay them on a rack in the fridge, uncovered, for 15 minutes until the surface feels tacky.
15 minStep 4: Light the smoker with the 1 ⅛ lb alder wood chips or chunks and bring it to 60–158°F. Smoke the eels for 45 minutes to dry the skin and take on a golden colour.
45 minStep 5: Raise the smoker to 90–200°F and hot-smoke for 60–75 minutes, until the skin wrinkles and pulls back and the flesh is opaque right through. A probe in the thickest part must reach 145°F and stay at or above it for at least 30 minutes.
70 minStep 6: Cool the eels on a rack, then refrigerate below 5 °C within 2 hours. Keep covered in the fridge and eat within 3 days.
5 minStep 7: To serve, cut into 5 cm pieces, peel back the skin and lift the flesh off the bone. Serve chilled with 4 tbsp grated horseradish, 6 gluten-free bread or rye bread and 1 lemon.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 2 g
- Fat
- 31 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does smoked eel take?
- About 240 minutes in total: 120 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
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