Part 29 (1/2)

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE EEL.]

THE EEL TRIBE.--The Apodal, or bony-gilled and ventral-finned fish, of which the eel forms the first Linnaean tribe, in their general aspect and manners, approach, in some instances, very nearly to serpents. They have a smooth head and slippery skin, are in general naked, or covered with such small, soft, and distant scales, as are scarcely visible. Their bodies are long and slender, and they are supposed to subsist entirely on animal substances. There are about nine species of them, mostly found in the seas. One of them frequents our fresh waters, and three of the others occasionally pay a visit to our sh.o.r.es.

STEWED EELS.

I.

250. INGREDIENTS.--2 lbs. of eels, 1 pint of rich strong stock, No. 104, 1 onion, 3 cloves, a piece of lemon-peel, 1 gla.s.s of port or Madeira, 3 tablespoonfuls of cream; thickening of flour; cayenne and lemon-juice to taste.

_Mode_.--Wash and skin the eels, and cut them into pieces about 3 inches long; pepper and salt them, and lay them in a stewpan; pour over the stock, add the onion stuck with cloves, the lemon-peel, and the wine.

Stew gently for 1/2 hour, or rather more, and lift them carefully on a dish, which keep hot. Strain the gravy, stir to the cream sufficient flour to thicken; mix altogether, boil for 2 minutes, and add the cayenne and lemon-juice; pour over the eels and serve.

_Time_.--3/4 hour. _Average cost_ for this quant.i.ty, 2s. 3d.

_Seasonable_ from June to March.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

THE COMMON EEL.--This fish is known frequently to quit its native element, and to set off on a wandering expedition in the night, or just about the close of clay, over the meadows, in search of snails and other prey. It also, sometimes, betakes itself to isolated ponds, apparently for no other pleasure than that which may be supposed to be found in a change of habitation. This, of course, accounts for eels being found in waters which were never suspected to contain them. This rambling disposition in the eel has been long known to naturalists, and, from the following lines, it seems to have been known to the ancients:--

”Thus the mail'd tortoise, and the wand'ring; eel, Oft to the neighbouring beach will silent steal.”

II.

251. INGREDIENTS.--2 lbs. of middling-sized eels, 1 pint of medium stock, No. 105, 1/4 pint of port wine; salt, cayenne, and mace to taste; 1 teaspoonful of essence of anchovy, the juice of 1/2 a lemon.

_Mode_.--Skin, wash, and clean the eels thoroughly; cut them into pieces 3 inches long, and put them into strong salt and water for 1 hour; dry them well with a cloth, and fry them brown. Put the stock on with the heads and tails of the eels, and simmer for 1/2 hour; strain it, and add all the other ingredients. Put in the eels, and stew gently for 1/2 hour, when serve.

_Time_.--2 hours. _Average cost_, 1s. 9d.

_Seasonable_ from June to March.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

FRIED EELS.

252. INGREDIENTS.--1 lb. of eels, 1 egg, a few bread crumbs, hot lard.

_Mode_.--Wash the eels, cut them into pieces 3 inches long, trim and wipe them very dry; dredge with flour, rub them over with egg, and cover with bread crumbs; fry of a nice brown in hot lard. If the eels are small, curl them round, instead of cutting them up. Garnish with fried parsley.

_Time_.--20 minutes, or rather less. _Average cost_, 6d. per lb.

_Seasonable_ from June to March.

_Note_.--Garfish may be dressed like eels, and either broiled or baked.

THE PRODUCTIVENESS OF THE EEL.--”Having occasion,” says Dr.

Anderson, in the _Bee_, ”to be once on a visit to a friend's house on Dee-side, in Aberdeens.h.i.+re, I frequently delighted to walk by the banks of the river. I, one day, observed something like a black string moving along the edge of the water where it was quite shallow. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that this was a shoal of young eels, so closely joined together as to appear, on a superficial view, on continued body, moving briskly up against the stream. To avoid the r.e.t.a.r.dment they experienced from the force of the current, they kept close along the water's edge the whole of the way, following all the bendings and sinuosities of the river. Where they were embayed, and in still water, the shoal dilated in breadth, so as to be sometimes nearly a foot broad; but when they turned a cape, where the current was strong, they were forced to occupy less s.p.a.ce and press close to the sh.o.r.e, struggling very hard till they pa.s.sed it. This shoal continued to move on, night and day without interruption for several weeks. Their progress might be at the rate of about a mile an hour. It was easy to catch the animals, though they were very active and nimble. They were eels perfectly well formed in every respect, but not exceeding two inches in length. I conceive that the shoal did not contain, on an average, less than from twelve to twenty in breadth; so that the number that pa.s.sed, on the whole, must have been very great.