Eel can be a tough sell, until you have tried it. In Italy, however, it appears in a magnificent and succulent dish on almost every table during Christmas week, particularly on La Vigilia, Christmas Eve, when it is perhaps the most traditional dish of all. The many fish dishes served that night.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Step 1
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Step 2
2. In a large sauce pan, combine the tomato sauce, red wine, caper berries, olives, and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Step 3
3. Meanwhile, season the eel with salt and pepper and arrange in a single layer in a baking dish.
Step 4
4. Pour the sauce over the eel, put the dish in the oven, and bake for about 20 minutes, until the eel is cooked through. Transfer to a warmed platter, sprinkle with the chopped fennel, and serve immediately.
Leave a Review
Reviews (1)
Back to TopI made this with smoked eel, but otherwise just the same. The sauce is excellent- it helps to cut the eeliness of the eel- and I think it would do the same for any oily fish. I might increase the caperberries a bit, as their astringency works so well with this.
Anonymous
London
9/8/2011
See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips
-
Mario Batali's Feast of the Seven Fishes
The famed chef shares his menu for the ultimate Christmas Eve feast and explains why "seven fishes" is merely a suggestion.
