[Sca-cooks] freshwater vs. saltwater eels

[Antonia Calvo]

Stefan li Rous wrote:
> Is there a difference in taste between saltwater and freshwater eels? 
> I've only eaten eel which was smoked and canned, although I think I 
> have some frozen eel that I've yet to cook.

I imagine there's a difference, but I don't know what it is.  We mainly 
eat this kind of eel in NZ 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_longfin_eel.  I think there's 
conger eel (an ocean species) available as well, but it just looks like 
white fish and I've never tried it.

(this just in-- Taddea says conger isn't all that nice-- not as delicate 
as the freshwater stuff and full of bones.)

> Or are all eels saltwater eels that live most of their lives in 
> freshwater and migrate to salt water to spawn? (hmmm. or maybe the 
> reverse?

The ones I think of as freshwater eels live in rivers and streams but 
spawn at sea. The (delicious!) elvers then migrate back up streams.

-- 
Antonia di Benedetto Calvo 

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Habeo metrum - musicamque,
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