Eel Chowder
- Servings
- 6
Ingredients
Eel
- 2 cups water
- ⅓ cup white wine
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 2 tablespoons parsley
- 1 onion, peeled and sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 peppercorns
- Salt
- 1 ea. (about 1–2 lbs) medium-sized eel, cut into 2-inch pieces
Soup base
- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 1 ½ tablespoons flour
- 8 cups beef stock
- 1 bunch pot herbs
- 1 teaspoon mint, minced
- ½ cup celery, diced
Vegetables and pears
- ½ cauliflower head, broken into small florets
- 1 cup peas
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 6 pears, peeled and seeded
Method
- Combine the 2 cups water, wine, vinegar, 2 sprigs parsley, onion, one carrot, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt; bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add eel, and cook slowly until fish is tender.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large kettle; add the flour and cook until blended.
- Add beef stock, pot herbs, mint and celery; cook slowly for 1 hour.
- Cook cauliflower and peas in boiling salted water until crisp-tender.
- Make a syrup with the ½ cup water and sugar. Add pears and simmer gently until tender. Remove pears from syrup.
- To serve, first remove eel from liquid in which it was cooked.
- Strain the eel cooking liquid, and add half of it to the soup base.
- Drain the cooked vegetables and add to the soup base.
- Place cooked eel and pears in a large tureen. Pour the soup base over top, and serve.
Notes
- You may substitute chicken or vegetable stock for the beef stock.