Top Chef vs. Eel

By Queuebot in Food & Drink on Feb 11, 2009 at 4:42 pm

Last week on Top Chef, contestants faced a slithery challenge: peel and fillet an eel. To prepare eel you must buy them live and kill them right before cooking, because their flesh deteriorates rapidly. But these eels were still moving!

Guest chef and judge Eric Ripert assured the contestants that the eels were already dead, but admitted that they would continue to squirm for hours.

Eel is more popular in Europe and Asia than in the United States, where you don’t often find it on a menu. In France, chefs will braise eel with red wine and garlic. In Japan, it’s frequently glazed with miso and grilled. In Scandinavia and Germany, eel is smoked and served with rye bread. Why accompany eels with such strong flavors? Because, Ripert revealed, "they taste like mud."

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From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Marilyn Terrell.

Tags: eel, top chef

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Kate D
Feb 11th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
I’m a pretty big fan of eel, and while it does have a pretty earthy flavour, I’ve never thought “mud”. My aunt in Sweden makes a great creamy eel soup, and I’m quite fond of the ubiquitous BBQ eel sushi here in Canada, even if it is the only way to get my hands on eel.
Polx
Feb 11th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Ripert is an idiot.

Eel tastes of, surprisingly enough,EEL!

Danish St Stephens day a smoked eel is a great centre piece to the table.

I used to live around the corner from French’s Eel and pie house in Hackney london , and hile I never cared for the cockney fare of Jellied Eels Pie n Liquor , one thing I can say is that they, nor the Danish eel, tasted of MUD.
Alex
Feb 11th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
I love fried eel! My favorite dish growing up … one day, I wandered to the back of the restaurant (I was a little kid) and saw how they prepared the eel
flareak
Feb 11th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
I agree with Polx, lot of misinformation by Ripert.

In Japan, its not glazed with miso, in fact, I dont think i’ve had eel glazed with miso in my life.

and, I don’t think unagi sauce is not made out of miso:
http://www.sushiencyclopedia.com/sushi_sauce_recipes/unagi_sauce_recip e.html
flareak
Feb 11th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
*I don’t think unagi sauce is made out of miso

is what I wanted to say
tripleX
Feb 11th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Greasy, fat smoked eel has such a great taste. I love eating eel from a newspaper with friends and a bottle of Dutch Jenever.
Carl
Feb 11th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
Ugh. One of the few nigiri/sashimi I really don’t like. I just don’t like the texture. I don’t think I’ve ever had it grilled, though.
JD
Feb 11th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
You omnivores are nuts. WHY??? Yuck, yuck, yuck.
Jenny
Feb 11th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
I haven’t had eel in a long time, but I remember it tasting very good – not muddy at all.
Alan
Feb 12th, 2009 at 5:11 am
Eric Ribert… one of the most celebrated and revered seafood chefs in the world is an idiot? I’m pretty sure he knows way more about eel and food than you do.
Tracy
Feb 12th, 2009 at 11:35 am
I am living in Denmark at the moment and yes they do eat eel here. Along with many other disgusting pickled type things! Ewwww…
Justin Lynes
Feb 12th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Eel is what I alway encourage people to try first at sushi bars if it’s their first time. It tastes like awesome.
Justin Lynes
Feb 13th, 2009 at 10:42 am
Re: Alan “Eric Ribert… one of the most celebrated and revered seafood chefs in the world is an idiot? I’m pretty sure he knows way more about eel and food than you do.”

Marisa Tomei is also an Oscar-winning actress. Being celebrated by colleagues and being a dullard are not mutually exclusive.

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