White Stewed Eels is a traditional British recipe, based on Charles Elmé Francatelli's recipe of 1861, for a classic dish of prepared eels that are stewed in white wine with an egg liaison that are served with the pan liquid as a sauce. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: White Stewed Eels.
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This is a classic recipe for a Victorian version of White Stewed Eels that's derived from the chef, Charles Elmé Francatelli's 1861 volume, The Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's & Butler's Assistant. Below you will find both the recipe in its original form and a modern redaction.
Original Recipe
No. 271.—STEWED EELS, WHITE.
Cut up the eels as in the foregoing cases, and stew them with the same seasoning and a little French white wine ; stir in the kneaded butter, and finish by adding a little chopped parsley and a lesson of three yolks of eggs and half a gill of cream.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
2 eels
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1 shallot, minced
200ml white wine
2 egg yolks, beaten
70ml cream
2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
Method:
To skin and gut an eel, hold it down by the head on a solid work surface with a towel (an eel is very slippery). With a sharp knife, make an incision around the neck, just below the head. The thick filmy skin will separate. Grip the skin with a pair of pliers, and pull it down the length of the eel to the tail and cut it off. Make a slit down the length of the stomach and pull out the innards. Rinse the eel well under cold running water then cut into 3cm lengths.
Place the eel pieces in a pan and season with salt and black pepper. Scatter the shallot on top then pour in the wine. Cover and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 25 minutes, or until the eel pieces are tender.
Whisk together the egg yolks and cream in a bowl until smooth. Add a little of the eel cooking liquor to temper the eggs then pour this mixture over the eel pieces and cook gently until the sauce has thickened.
Scatter over the parsley, turn into a serving dish and bring to the table.
