Braised Eel, Royal Style

After skinning and cleaning, cut an eel into two-inch pieces, sprinkle with salt and let them remain for an hour or so. Plunge into a bowl of cold water for ten minutes, dry them, put in a well-buttered saucepan and season with grated nutmeg, salt and pepper, and over them place slices of lemons and shallots, also a little scraped parsley root and a few whole white peppers. Set the saucepan over a slow fire with hot ashes on the lid and braise until the fish is done. Place the pieces of eel on a dish; add to the saucepan one breakfast cupful of stock and boil for a few minutes and thicken with a white roux; let this reduce slightly; remove the pan from the fire, add a liaison of the yolks of three eggs, boil up once more, strain into a saucepan containing double its quantity of German sauce, boil up again, pour around the eel, and serve.

Brochettes Of Eels

Cut two or three eels in slices about one inch in thickness, after skinning and cleaning; lay them in a dish, dust over with salt, pepper and a little finely chopped parsley and sweet herbs and let them stand for two or three hours. Have in readiness some truffles parboiled in white wine and cut into slices; put the pieces of eels on attelettes or skewers with pieces of truffle between; brush the whole over with yolk of egg, dip into sifted breadcrumbs, put them into a fryingpan of boiling fat and fry for about twenty minutes. When done put them on a dish without removing the skewers and serve.

Broiled Eels

Skin and clean a good-sized eel; remove the backbone and cut the eel into four or five pieces. Dip each piece first into egg and then into breadcrumbs mixed with grated rind of lemon, nutmeg, parsley, sweet herbs, pepper and salt. Put the pieces of fish on a greased gridiron with the skin side of the fish downward, over a clear fire, and broil them, turning over when done on one side. Put on a hot dish, garnish with parsley and horseradish set alternately, and serve with tartar or anchovy sauce in a sauceboat.

Fricassee Of Eel

Skin and clean some eels and cut off their heads; chop them up into small pieces and put into a fryingpan with sufficient white wine and water in equal parts to cover; season with mace, pepper, nutmeg, cloves, sweet herbs, allspice and salt according to taste. Set the pan over a good fire and boil until the eels are quite tender, then put them on a dish. Pound in a mortar two anchovies and add them to the liquor with a little butter and yolks of eggs to thicken. Pour this over the fish, and serve.

Fried Eels

Cut a large eel into thick slices, after skinning and cleaning; put the pieces into a basin with vinegar, the peel from two or three lemons, and a little each of salt and pepper, and let them soak for a day or so; take them out, drain, dip into batter, plunge into a fryingpan of boiling fat and fry. When done, drain, place on a napkin on a dish, and serve with a sauceboatful of reduced stock mixed with a little lemon juice and a pounded, boned anchovy.