Who will be eating eel for the holidays?

[PurpelNoon]

Just got back from Little Italy and I noticed a large tank outside the fish store and it was filled with nice sized live eels. I've known different cultures to eat eel on a regular basis and some more for the holidays. I've heard it because I am from Italian descent and for Christmas, my ancestors used to cook eels. I know people that still do so.

Now cooked eels Italian style is not something to write home about for me, but having eels at a Japanese restaurant in sushi form is appealing to me on occasion. What I do notice though is that these restaurants offer freshwater eel and saltwater eel. Because of their existance in both waters, I gather it is the same species? Is this true?

[pete santini]

same fish my friend The reason the sushi eels taste better than italian christmas eve eels is because the,re bbqed with teriyaki sauce were the others are fried but there still good

[TunaCell]

My mom once had eel. She said it tasted just like chicken. I'm a firm believer in if it tastes like chicken I'll just stick to chicken. And also, in addition to american eel, conger eel (twice as big and twice as mean) is frequently found in fish markets and resturaunts as well.

[PurpelNoon]

I hear you about the chicken! Just got back from New ORleans and had Aligator sausage. Ain't no better than your average thats for sure, and it sure cost more!

[Backbeach Jake]

30 years ago, when I was still , let's say without a governor on my motor, a like minded friend and I were fishing Corn Hill and catching nothing but BIG eels. WTH!!! Well, after not to long we dared one another to eat one, They're a delicacy in France aren't they? So we took 'em home , skinned and fried them. Lemme tell ya , they have the lightest , whitest meat on the planet Earth. If you like Fluke you'll love eel. Of course the wives thought we were nutso.

[Fish_n_Dive]

unagi or freshwater eel is really good

[MakoMike]

The unagi, or freshwater eel served in Japanese resturants is a different fish than the anago or saltwater eel. Our american eel is found in both fresh and salt water.

[TunaCell]

Originally posted by PurpelNoon
I hear you about the chicken! Just got back from New ORleans and had Aligator sausage. Ain't no better than your average thats for sure, and it sure cost more!

I had fried gator at a seafood fest. I thought it tasted great, it was just that 90% of it is fat. And then again you could deep fry a dog turd and it would taste great.

[PurpelNoon]

Originally posted by MakoMike
The unagi, or freshwater eel served in Japanese resturants is a different fish than the anago or saltwater eel. Our american eel is found in both fresh and salt water.

Thats what I thought. I think the saltwater eel is called anago. I never realized the difference. Next time I will get a piece of each and compare.

[NIB]

i love EEL.

[RIROCKHOUND]

Eeel... good
Alligator... good (Trish's Tropigrill in Jamestown in mid summer)
Sea Turtle (In the bahamas) was good

If you ever have "Ocean Pout" it's a slimy little fish called a Mutton eel, Pout is its market name... it's very tasty, tight grained like an eel, but tasty, we get em blackfishing late in the season sometimes, if we can get through the dogfish....

[zacs]

I caught an ocean pout codfishing in BI sound as a kid one time. I didn't eat it, but I gave it to my Dad's friend and he said it sucked. Since then I have never kept one. I will have to try it next time I get one.
-Zac

[RIROCKHOUND]

I dunno, I cleaned it and sautaed it, came out pretty good.... but then again I like bluefish too

[The Iceman 6]

This is great news - now I know where to get eels in NYC. I"m sure they will cost the same as if going to a bait store.....

[jugstah]

The idea of eating bait for dinner doesn't appeal to me, so I'll pass.

[outfished]

Anago eel rules! Had turtle soup several times in New Orleans, fabulous! Then again, I eat just about anything including sweetbreads (head cheese), blood pudding, blood sausage, snail(escardot), sushi, frog legs etc. Ya its weird, but I was raised on it from a baby and I guess I don't know any better. I do hate tripe though, can't stomach it

[PurpelNoon]

The eels in the tank were gigantic!

I'll pass on the tripe too. Tastes ok but can't stand looking at it.

I saw the turtle soup on the menu too but I wasn't in an adventurous mood.

[Saltheart]

I had eel while in China. it is a nice white , tight knit meat. It wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. i suppose that has most to do with how they cooked it. I just couldn't stop thinking that i had never used eel for anything except bait....i think I will keep it that way!!

[TunaCell]

Wolf fish is supposed to be quite good as well. I have some in my freezer from codfishing back in the spring. My family hasn't been very adventurous, so in the freezer it stays.

[PurpelNoon]

Originally posted by TunaCell
Wolf fish is supposed to be quite good as well. I have some in my freezer from codfishing back in the spring. My family hasn't been very adventurous, so in the freezer it stays.

Is wolf fish similar to monk fish? They look similar I think although isnt the wolf fish pretty nasty and mean?

[chris L]

I have to agree " I dont eat bait "

[TunaCell]

Nasty and mean they are. My uncle has friend that scuba dives for lobsters and one day he had wolfish swimming along with him trying to wrestle the lobsters out of his bag. And their is a bit of fishing myth which states a wolf fish is the only fish capable of bighting through wire leader. The only similarity to monkfish that they have is that they are ugly as sin, as you can see from below. I've heard that thier jaw muscle is quite delicious, and tastes similar to scallops.

[Saltheart]

Nice ones!!! Unfortunately , the picture doesn't show their teeth. Those wolf fish have mean looking teeth!!!

[zacs]

wolf fish, AKA Loup Du Mer, AKA Ocean Catfish is DELICIOUS!!!!

As for not eating bait, what about squid!!!???!!!

[TunaCell]

Saltheart, I'll pass the complimets on to my brother(on the left). He cought both of them, but he needed the help of the mate(on the right) for holding up the big one. And I think this picture does the teeth justice. As for eating bait, squid (calamari) is excellant, as well as fried sardines.

[reelecstasy]

its bait......

[outfished]

Wolf fish is great. Some call it the poor man's lobster and theres been a few times that people have asked me to trade them for cod or haddock. Once saw a program on tv about the wolf fish and they were showing them eat 3-5lb. lobsters in two bites and gone! They do taste like shellfish, which consists most of their diet and they are meaner than a junkyard dog. A mate on Yankee fleet one day had the fish bite down on a gaff handle and the fish stayed there locked jaw all day long! Kind of like a pit bull.eessed:

[Gooch]

Like the freshwater eel better. Saltwater eel is too mushy for my taste, not as good as a texture to it.

[Saltheart]

Eels are bait some eat as food !! Squid is food we use as bait , just like clams!!

[Navy Chief]

We used to catch Wolf Eels out in the Pacific NW. They almost look the same as that Wolf Fish, but the Eels were thinner. Used to catch Ling Cod, as well. Ugly fish are almost always good eating.

After an internet review, Wolf Eels and Wolf Fish are both members of the Blenny (Anarrhichthys) family. That would explain the resemblence.