SC - eels? fish cultivation?

[Mike C. Baker]

Warning: fairly thorough description of cleaning eel and catfish
will be found below. Bypass if uninterested or if the topic might
upset your digestion... Amra

- ---Michael P Newton <melc2newton at juno.com> wrote:
> > Since it's been five or six months since it was last 
> > asked, anyone have any sources for eel? It's not common 
> > these days but apparently was commonly raised in medieval 
> > fish and mill ponds much as we raise catfish today. 
> > Anybody know what else was raised in medieval ponds?

Some form of perch, perhaps?

I don't know the natural ranges for catfish and its saltwater
variations...

> I've been itching to make an eel soup ever since I found a 
> recipe in My copy of _Splendid Soups_ by James Peterson. 
> Not only does he give the recipe, but he also tells how to 
> skin it. (For those of you who disliked
> desiccating in Biology, you may want to skip this part.)
> "To clean an eel, grab it at the base of the neck with 
> a towel and whack its head on the kitchen counter (you 
> need the towel; eels are slippery and may get loose and 
> end up hiding under the stove) This first step, 
> presumably to kill it or at least stun the eel 
> into docility, makes no visible change in its 
> behavior; an eel with its head bashed in will still
> wrap firmly around your arm as you grip its neck.

A stiff wire or awl inserted into the skull from the "top" can
replace the "whack on the counter". With practice and instruction it
is fairly easy, but be warned that you have to find just the right
hole in the catfish skull for this to work optimally: this action is
sometimes called "pithing", and is more reliable / useful for
catfish. (Unless, of course, you've been trained in using a hammer
instead...) For sanitary and other reasons, I prefer to clean eel
and catfish outdoors. One major reason for this is because that's 
how I've always done it, but another important consideration
is "right tools for the job" and where they can best be set up.

Instead of holding onto the eel / catfish with hands&towel only, 
put together at least a portable cleaning station.  A length of
heavy cord, or an old cord-style stringer, or heavy-gauge wire; two
pairs of pliers (add a pair of diagonal cutters for catfish and
other species with heavy spines in the forward fins); knives; water
bucket; ladle; meat pan; and gut bucket.

Find a tree, closeline, or other overhead support. Tie one end of
the cord to this support and feed the other end throught the
critters mouth, out through the gills, and hang at a convenient
height. Repeating with additional cords can speed the process if you
are cleaning multiple fish. Rinse externally with water, clip and
remove spines from forefins (three on most catfish, been too long
since I handled eel to remember their configuration) pith/use
hammer, and rinse again.

> Next, make a slit around the base of its neck and first 
> pull the skin away with a pair of pliers' then peel it 
> off like a glove, using a towel.

using TWO pair of pliers, towel optional but at hand for cleanup, it
is much easier to peel that outer skin easily. Grasp skin on both
sides of the critter's body and pull straight down. Rinse again, or
have an assistant rinse continually as the skinning progresses. 

When suspended as described above, and peeling with two pair, it is
often unnecessary to make an extra incision in order to reach the
guts. (Sometimes they conveniently fall out along with the skin, so
it is usually a good idea to be working over the top of the gut
bucket.) Take care to avoid breaking the gall bladder; inspect the
liver for worms; etc.

Rinse again.

> Gut the eel starting at the base of the head by slitting into 
> the cavity under cold running water. Be forewarned: none of 
> this does anything to slow down the eel. 

After gutting (and rinsing some more), using those same pliers go
back and remove any remaining fins (ventral in particular) and the
tail by the expedient of slicing into the meat on either side of the
fin and yanking the fin itself out with a practised twist o' the
wrist. Cut deeply into the meat all around the body at the highest
point where skin has been removed, all the way to the back bone.
Twist and crack, usually being careful to try and leave the spinal
cord behind. Rinse well and place carcass in meat pan (which should
already be full of cold water).

(Alright, so there is the matter of practice and experience to
consider as well, and I'm certain I must be leaving *something*
important out...)

> And last, cutting the
> skinless eel into inch-long segments still does nothing to 
> abate its electrical energy -- each of the
> pieces continues to twitch, including the head, with the mouth
> continuously opening and closing. Still interested?"
> I am! Anyone want to help?
> Lady Beatrix

Hope I have...

===
Pax ... Kihe / Adieu -- Amra / TTFN -- Mike
Kihe Blackeagle (the Dreamsinger Bard) / 
Amr ibn Majid al-Bakri al-Amra (AoA in SCA, so: al-Sayyid) /
Mike C. Baker: My opinions are my own -- no one else would want them!
     F.O.B. (Friend Of Blackfox)
Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/8661
Alt. e-mail: KiheBard at aol.com MikeCBaker at aol.com

_____________________________________________________________________
Sent by RocketMail. Get your free e-mail at http://www.rocketmail.com

============================================================================

To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".

============================================================================