Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Eels, Boiled. — Soak three or four small ones (if they are preferred), in strong salt and water for an hour. Drain them, and put them into a stewpan, with just the quantity of water requisite to cover the fish. Add a bunch of parsley, and let the eels simmer about half an hour. Serve them in a shallow dish, with parsley and butter poured over. Probable cost, 6d. to Is. Sufficient for four persons. Eels, Boiled, for Convalescents (Invalid Cookeky). — When the skin has been drawn oif the eel, it is placed before a clear fire, or on a gridiron over a fire, to rid it ot the oily matter. When it has parted with the fat (it wiU not require to be kept before the fire for this purpose more than ten minutes), scrape and wash it in warm water, and then put it into a saucepan with more hot water — about one quart — add a bunch of parsley, and a small quantity of salt, and simmer till done. Serve with a little of the broth in the dish, and minced parsley as well. It should be simmered for twenty minutes. Probable cost, 6d. to Is. per pound. Eels, Broiled. — Clean and skin two eels ; if large ones, cut them into pieces of three or four inches ; if small, they should be curled round, but first sprinkled with a mixture of chopped parsley, pepper, salt, and a little powdered sage, then rubbed or dipped in yolk of egg, and strewn with bread-crumbs. Serve with sauce as for boiled eels, or anchovy sauce, if preferred. Time, twenty minutes. Probable cost, from 6d. to Is. per pound. Sufficient for four or five persons. COLLARED EELS. Eels, Collared. — Take a large eel, cut oflE the head and tail, and remove the skin and backbone without tearing the flesh. Spread it out flat on a board, and cover it with a seasoning composed of the following ingredients : — A small bunch of herbs, two leaves of sage minced very fine, two cloves, two blades of mace, and a little allspice and whole pepper well pounded, with salt to taste. EoU up the eel, beginning with the broad end, and bind it tightly with a tape. Boil down the backbone, head, and tail with pepper, salt, mace, and vinegar. Put the eel to this liquor, and stew about three-quarters of an hour, and when tender set it aside. Boil up the liquor with more vinegar and spice, if required, and when cool add it to the fish. Probable cost, 6d. to Is. per pound. Eels (en Matelote).— Cut up some very small onions — -five or six of them — and brown them with a little butter and flour in a stewpan. When of a light brown, add about half a pint of good broth and the same quantity of port wine, a few mushrooms, a laurel-leaf, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Have ready two pounds of eels, divided into lengths of three inches, simmer them in this gravy till tender, then remove the eels and place them high in the centre of a dish. Thicken the sauce with butter and flour, and serve it hot poured over. Time to stew the eels, half an hour. Probable cost, 2s. 6d. for this quantity. Sufficient for four or five persons.