Eel Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the eels
Skim and trim the eels, removing heads, tails, and fins.
Stew the trimmings in white broth to make gravy.
Cut the eels into 3-inch pieces.
Season the eel pieces with pepper and salt.
Add 1 cup of the gravy to the eel pieces. Mix well.
Assemble and bake
Prepare a light pastry.
Line the bottom of a pie dish without covering the sides.
Pour the eel mixture into the pastry.
Cover with another layer of pastry.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 1 hour.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Small eels
- Form the main filling, becoming tender and rich during the long bake.
- White broth
- Makes the gravy that moistens the eel filling as it bakes.
- Light pastry
- Encloses the filling, holding the moisture in while the pie bakes.
The step that matters
Add 1 cup of the gravy to the eel pieces. Enough liquid must surround the eel pieces so they cook through and stay moist rather than drying out in the oven. Mixing well spreads the gravy evenly so no portion of the filling is left dry.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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