got a dam near here that is full of eels? does any one know if you can eat them and if so how to cook one? probably very similar to fish?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jellied_eels

http://www.dishbase.com/recipe/jellied-eels/

http://www.retrofoodrecipes.co...llied_eels_1955.html

Are you catching them on rod & line or in a trap?

Grilled and smoked are my favorites. I have had jellied eel as well but cant say it was one of my favorites. A friend of mine poaches them in unsalted butter and good red wine. All are very tasty. You can do anything you can do to fish with eel.

An eel is a fish , with high fat content. It's excellent for smoking, pickling, stew or just throw it on the grill .
They're still caught commercially here on the Upper Delaware river.
Best way to skin - drive a nail through the head into a board ,slit the skin around the neck, grab skin with a pliers and pull off like a glove.
Here the females come and live for three years then go on the long journey to reproduce in the Sargasso Sea ,one of natures most fascinating trips !

I love them!! But before I tried them (smoked at home), I used to kill them and throw them back....thinking them beneath contempt. Gut them and rinse well. Soak them 24 hrs refrigerated in a brine made of (per gallon water) 1 cup uniodized salt, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp chili pdr., and 4 or 5 bay leaves. Remove from brine and rinse well under running tap. I smoke them for 2 - 3 hours in a Weber grill ... while placed opposite (not above) a pile of about 20 charcoals ....bottom vents open; upper vents closed. The flavor and texture are wonderful. Wood can be green or dried-soaked. Use apple, maple, oak without bark, hickory, mesquite. Put wood chunks atop the hot coals in the Weber. If anyone can direct me to a source of eels in N Florida..would love to hear.

Smoke them and enjoy!

Conifer; there's an annual run of eels in the St. Johns River. Don't know where they sell them but there is a commercial fishery for them. Try some of your local fish markets, they may be able to hook you up.

I remember hearing long time ago you should not eat the eel blood, not sure why but the memory stuck. Anybody knows anything about eel blood being harmful to humans?

Do a Google search on Unagi and see how the Japanese fix them. Typically they are grilled, then steamed to remove fat, and grilled a second time. This makes them crisp on the outside. They are also basted with a sweet sauce. Unagi sushi is one of my favorites.

Here's a tip to make handling 'em easier if you catch 'em on rod and line.

Take a piece of 1 -1 1/2 inch plastic pipe about 12- 14 inches long and hacksaw it down the length on ONE side only. Then use a 3/4 or so hole saw to make a hole either side of the pipe at one end.

Then when you bank one, run the line through the gap in the pipe where you sawed it, pull the line and eel into the tube and as it's head comes in line with the drilled hole, poke your thumb in one hole and push his head out the other..... then unhook it, pull your thumb out and down he slides into whatever you keep them in. - I used to use a wet hessian sack.



Oday,

That sounds like GREAT recipe!!!

Shakari's tip reminded me of a good way we de-slime slimy things. We frequently catch various saltwater catfish when going for other species. The saltwater catfish are considered undesirable for eating, but I'll defy you to taste a plate of them fried and tell me if it's catfish or something else. Anyway, these buggers are coated in some very nasty slime. We keep several burlap bags on board just for them. Use on burlap sack to handle the fish and toss them into the other burlap sack. When you are headed in for the day, simply tie the fish filled sack behind the boat, and when you reach the landing the fish will be scrubbed clean and much less messy to clean. I'm sure the same would work well for eels. Good luck.