Eels Stewed in Red Wine

Name: Eels Stewed in Red Wine
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Danish
Ingredients: 700 g (1½ lb) freshwater eels, skinned and cut into 5 cm (2 inch) lengths (preferably by your fishmonger); 700 g (1½ lb) freshwater eels, skinned and cut into 5 cm (2 inch) lengths (preferably by your fishmonger); salt and freshly ground black pepper; 50 g (2 oz) plain flour; 50 g (2 oz) butter, plus a bit more; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 16 small shallots or baby onions, peeled; 100 g (4 oz) smoked streaky bacon, cut into 1 cm (½ inch) pieces; 16 button mushrooms; 16 small shallots or baby onions, peeled; 90 ml (3 fl oz) aquavit or cognac; 90 ml (3 fl oz) aquavit or cognac; 1 tablespoon tomato purée; 1 bottle of red wine; about a tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves or chopped parsley; about a tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves or chopped parsley; 2 bay leaves

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Floyd's Fjord Fiesta

By Keith Floyd

Published 1998

About

This is the kind of dish in which Curnonsky and Escoffier revelled and their wealthy customers devoured with pleasure.

Ingredients

700 g (1½ lb) freshwater eels, skinned and cut into 5 cm (2 inch) lengths (preferably by your fishmonger)
50

Europe
Denmark
Summer
Nordic

Method

Dredge the pieces of eel with the flour and season them with some salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a sauté pan - or use a wok. Fry the bits of bacon along with the shallots or onions until they start to turn golden brown. Turn the heat down really low and cook them for another 5 minutes or so.

Add another knob of butter to the pan and chuck in the eels and mushrooms, frying them unti