Smoked eel

Although the European eel is now nearing extinction, and despite the fact that it has been protected in many countries, one can still purchase smoked eel freely in Lithuania. Predominantly around the Curonian lagoon. This large shallow lagoon with its murky water is an ideal habitat for the eels, and even though there are large colonies of cormorants nearby, the eels still seem to thrive. Strangely enough, the cormorants are protected, while the eels are not. In Norway, it is in fact the other way around. At least at present.

 

Visiting the deliciously endangered eel of the Curonian lagoon

 

 As a consequence, sampling some smoked eel when visiting the area around the Curonian lagoon must almost be considered obligatory. At least for those of us who can`t get it at home.  Hot smoking the fish was traditionally the natural way of preserving the fish in this area, since both the climate and other factors made other ways of conservation difficult. Hot smoking does however agree nicely with the eel, and is the preferred way of preparing this fish in large parts of the world.

 

 



It doesn`t need to be more complicated than this

Although eel can be served as a part of an elaborate dinner, with lots of trimmings, I would recommend just buying a smoked eel from one of the vendors along the coast. It tastes great with just some tomatoes, cucumbers and bread on the side. According to Norwegian know-it-alls, one should look for an eel without a flat nose, since they are said to be the tastiest.

 



A fair sized eel with a cute little nose  

 

Good eels can be purchased straight from the manufacturers, with prices starting from about 80 Litas and ranging up to about 150 Litas for the largest eels. Many tourists tend to think that “the bigger the better”, but this is not necessarily true. First of all, the fish does not necessarily get better with age, and second of all, one should take in to consideration that eel is rather filling. There are not many healthy people around that are capable of eating a meter of eel, and those who do rarely feel very healthy afterwards. I would recommend an eel of about 50 cm, and sharing it with friends of family.