Eel

Also known asUnagi · Anago · 鳗鱼

Name: Eel — a long, snake-like, slippery fish, especially the Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) and the European eel (Anguilla anguilla), with rich, fatty, sweet flesh. Eels are born in the sea, and live in fresh water for years before returning to spawn.

Description

Eel is a delicacy in Japan, where grilled eel glazed in a sweet soy sauce (unagi no kabayaki) is traditionally eaten on the midsummer Day of the Ox, to fight the summer heat. It is also eaten in China, Korea, Spain (as baby eels, angulas), the Netherlands, Germany and Britain, where jellied eels are an old London East End dish.

The European eel is critically endangered, and all eels are subject to trade controls, since they cannot be bred in captivity and farming relies on catching wild young eels (glass eels), which are threatened by overfishing and trafficking. Eel blood is toxic when raw, so eel must always be cooked.

Main nutrition value

Eel is an oily fish, and a rich source of the long-chain omega-3 fats EPA and DHA, vitamin D, vitamin B12, selenium and protein. It is also very high in vitamin A, and is a rich, high-calorie fish.

How best to be consumed

Eel must always be cooked, and is rich.

1. Grill over charcoal with a sweet soy glaze (kabayaki), and serve over rice.
2. Smoke, stew or jelly it, as in European traditions, or pan-fry in chunks.
3. Buy prepared, cooked eel from reputable sources, since fresh eel is hard to prepare.
4. Never eat raw eel or its raw blood, which contains a toxin.
5. Check for sustainability, since many eel species are threatened.

Overconsumption could cause…

Eel is nutritious, but rich and ecologically fraught.

1. Poisoning from raw eel blood, which contains a protein toxin, destroyed by cooking.
2. Fish allergy, which can be severe and is usually lifelong, so anyone allergic must avoid fish and check labels, including fish in sauces and dressings.
3. Environmental contaminants such as PCBs and dioxins, which build up in the fat of oily fish, so eating a variety of fish and trimming skin and fat can help, and the benefits of oily fish generally outweigh the risks for most people. Eels are especially prone to build up contaminants in their fat.
4. Very high vitamin A, which can be a concern in pregnancy if eel is eaten very frequently.
5. Extinction concerns for some eel species, which many people prefer to avoid.

GroupsOily FishFinfishHigh proteinLow sodiumRich in vitamin ARich in vitamin B12Rich in vitamin DFresh

Related foodsAtlantic SalmonAtlantic MackerelMackerelSardinesHerringTrout

Wikipedia — Eel as food, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eel_as_food