Anguilla alla Gardesana

Name: Anguilla alla Gardesana (Fried Eel with Tomato)
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 10 basil leaves, torn; 250 g drained tinned tomatoes whole, peeled Italian tomatoes; salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper; 1 carrot, finely chopped; 2 x 600 g eels; 1 white onion, finely chopped; ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil; grapeseed oil, for deep-frying; 2 fresh bay leaves; ¼ cup (60 ml) white wine; plain flour, for dusting; crusty bread, boiled rice or potatoes, to serve

Fried Eel with Tomato

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

A Lombardian Cookbook

By Alessandro Pavoni and Roberta Muir

Published 2015

About

Skinning the eel is the hardest part of this recipe – you may need to pre-order them, and a good fishmonger will kill and clean them for you. Traditionally this dish is stored in a terracotta container. It’s never eaten on the day it’s made as it gets better when it’s stored, and can be refrigerated for up to four days.

Ingredients

2 x 600 g eels
¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil<

Method

Place the eels in the freezer for 24 hours, then take them out and leave at room temperature for 30–60 minutes to start to thaw. Pin the eels to a chopping board or clean piece of wood by driving a sharp clean nail, or the tip of a small sharp knife, through their heads. Cut around the necks with a sharp knife and, using a pair of clean pliers, peel the skin back from the necks to the tails. Cu