Smoked eel

Anguille fumée

What it is

Eel blood carries a protein toxic to mammals, which is why the fish is never served raw; heat destroys it, and Charles Richet took the 1913 Nobel for the anaphylaxis he found while injecting dogs with eel serum. Hot-smoking answers the toxin and the fat in one move.

In the kitchen

Peel the skin back from the head end in one strip and lift the fillets off the backbone with your thumbs — no knife needed. Serve at room temperature: straight from the fridge the fat is wax.

Goes with

Horseradish Apple Beetroot Crème fraîche Rye berries Dill Lemon Potato

Same species

Eel Glass eel

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