Eels

[Ranger99]

I've watched some of the folks
in foreign lands fishing, and they
often catch a kind of eel, and
they keep them and carefully
handle them and carry them away,
presumably for their own consumption.

Does anyone pursue eels for eating?
What kinds of dishes are they used in?
How are they dressed and prepared
for cooking?
Are any leftover portions usable, or
do they get tossed?

I caught one many years ago
in East Texas, but my grandpa
took a hoe to it and tossed it
in the bushes.
Apparently, he didn't care
for it at all

[Doublebass73]

I grew up catching huge eels in the river that ran through my city but it was so polluted back then nobody would eat anything from it. Eels and carp were the few fish that didn't seem to mind the pollution.

[Mule 11]

I caught an eel and thought it was a snake bank fishing with my grandparents and threw it up and down until it fell back in. My grandmother was yelling for me to stop. Man was she mad. She said it was a delicacy...

[ironglows]

.
  Eels are popular as a food in far more places than we may think.  I recall reading of their popularity in Europe during the medieval years, and the choice has not waned.
 
      Certain rivers were very much favored for eel fishing. My late wife, had a childhood chum who lives near Naples, NY.  Her address is "Eelpot Road" , so I assume there must have been a reason they were trapping them.

  BTW: Naples is in the Finger Lakes, which are best known these days as excellent "wine country".

   They seem to be a worldwide staple.  Interesting to note; this article claims eel blood is poisonous to humans 7 other mammals, but it is detoxed by cooking .

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eel_as_food
 

[Ranger99]

How are they prepared for cooking?
Do they get skinned and gutted as
you would a snake?

[mcbammer]

How are they prepared for cooking?
Do they get skinned and gutted as
you would a snake?

  skin 'em like you would a catfish .