Smoked eel is a delicacy in Germany and the Netherlands; full of Omega 3. Not only is smoked eel utterly delicious; the filets are always quick and easy to add to recipes. Make sure you buy from a sustainable stockist, ready to enjoy for tasty brunches at home.
Smoked and roasted eel served with tea consommé
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 200g smoked eel
- 1 Finely sliced spring onion
- 4 turnips
- 1 Red beetroot
- 1 yellow beetroot
- 1 tbsp lapsang souchon tea
- ½ a tbsp butter
- 550ml of clear fish stock
- Drizzles of olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 195 C
- Scrub the beets thoroughly and slice off the leaves. Wrap them loosely in aluminium foil with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast them in a baking tray for 1h30 (add 30 minutes for larger veggies) until the tip of a knife will easily slide through the middle of the beet.
- Leave the beetroots aside to cool down, until you can handle them. Once cooked, the skin will peel off very easily with help of kitchen paper.
- Rinse and trim the turnips; (keep the tops). Leave baby turnips whole; or cut larger turnips into bite-size morsels and place in foil with exact same seasoning as beetroots.
- Roast turnips until tender. Start checking on them after about 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, slice the smoked eel into bite-size diamond shapes before pan searing in a non stick frying pan with a drop of olive oil over a medium to high heat.
- After a couple of minutes, once the eel has a little colour, reduce the heat and add the butter to the pan. Roast for a further 2 minutes with the foaming butter. Then remove from the pan and set aside on kitchen paper.
- Bring the fish stock to the boil in a medium sized saucepan. Turn off the heat as soon as the liquid has boiled and sprinkle in the tea. Leave the tea to infuse for approximately 5 minutes (more or less depending on how strong you enjoy it); pass through a fine sieve and season.
- Slice all the cooked vegetables in small segments and place in a small serving bowl. Then delicately add the roasted eel on top and sprinkle the spring onion on top. Lastly pour over the fish stock.
Wines to drink with smoked and roasted eel served with tea consommé
For a traditional pairing, I suggest a Picpoul de Pinet, Domaine Felines Jourdan 2014. This young white wine from the Languedoc-Roussillon region has a light Aniseed flavour with crisp and balanced acidity.
A big favorite of mine to accompany this dish is a dry sherry: Papirusa Manzanilla, Solera Familiar, Emilio Lustau. Tangy and crisp with just a hint of saltiness.
Matching Wines
Picpoul de Pinet, Domaine Felines Jourdan, 2014
Perfectly balanced with wonderful citrus layers and a mellow aniseed flavour, this white wine is a real crowd pleaser. Clean and mellifluous on the palate it pairs beautifully with the deep flavours of the eel and sharpness of the spring onion.
RRP: £10.99 from Virgin Wines
Papirusa Manzanilla, Solera Familiar, Emilio Lustau
Aged in the beautiful surroundings of Lustau’s Bodega in Sanlucar De Barramada, this wonderful wine has picked up a pleasant saltiness due to its closeness to salty sea breezes. This is an exemplary Manzanilla, tangy and light with a balanced citrus acidity.
RRP: £15.35 from Berry Bros and Rudd
