Eel as food
Eels are elongated fish, ranging in length from to, and are used in various cuisines around the world. Japan consumes more than 70 percent of the global eel catch.
Eel blood is poisonous to humans and other mammals, but both cooking and the digestive process destroy the toxic protein.
List of dishes
Freshwater eels and marine eels are commonly used in Japanese cuisine; foods such as unadon and unajuu are popular but expensive. Eels are also very popular in Chinese cuisine and are prepared in many different ways. Hong Kong eel prices have often reached 1000 HKD per kilogram and once exceeded 5000 HKD per kilogram. Eel is also popular in Korean cuisine and is seen as a source of stamina for men. The European eel and other freshwater eels are eaten in Europe, the United States, and other places. Traditional east London foods are jellied eels and pie and mash, although their demand has significantly declined since World War II. In Italian cuisine eels from the Valli di Comacchio, a swampy zone along the Adriatic coast, are especially prized along with freshwater eels of Bolsena Lake. Eels are popular in the cuisines of Northeast India. Freshwater eels, known as kusia in Assamese, are eaten with curry, often with herbs.| Locality | Type | Image | Description |
| England | Jellied eels | Jellied eels originated in 18th century England, mainly in the East End of London. The dish consists of chopped eels boiled in aspic stock that is allowed to cool and set, forming a jelly. It is eaten cold. | |
| Belgium | Paling in 't groen | Specialty of the Brussels - Dendermonde - Antwerp area. Freshwater eels cut to about pieces, cooked in green herb sauce. Usually served hot, either as hors-d'œuvre or with Belgian fries or bread; but can also be eaten cold. | |
| Japan | Unagi | Unagi is the Japanese word for freshwater eels, especially the Japanese eel. Saltwater eels are known as anago. Unagi are a common ingredient in Japanese cooking. | |
| Japan | Kabayaki | Kabayaki is a typical preparation of the unagi eel in Japan., sometimes extended to preparation of other fish, where the fish is split down the back, gutted and boned, butterflied, cut into square fillets, skewered, dipped in a sweet soy sauce-base sauce before broiled on a grill. | |
| Japan | Unadon | Unadon, lit. "eel bowl", consists of a donburi type large bowl filled with steamed white rice, and topped with fillets of eel grilled in the kabayaki style, similar to teriyaki. | |
| Korea | Jangeo-gui | Jangeo-gui is a gui made with marinated and grilled freshwater eels. | |
| Vietnam | Miến lươn | Miến lươn is cellophane noodle soup with eel, which is deep-fried or stir-fried, topped with bean sprout, wood ear, onion and coriander. It is a delicacy in Northern Vietnam, especially Hanoi. | |
| Vietnam | Xúp lươn | Xúp lươn, lit. eel soup, is a soup dish made from eel or pork broth, consisting eels stir-fried with chive, onion, annatto and chilli powder. It is often served with bánh mì or bánh cuốn. This dish is a speciality in Nghe An province. | |
| Widespread | Elvers | Elvers are young eels. Traditionally, fishermen consumed elvers as a cheap dish, but environmental changes have reduced eel populations. Similar to whitebait, they are now considered a delicacy and are priced at up to €1000 per kilogram. The Spanish angulas consists of sautéd elver in olive oil, garlic and a chili pepper. In Spain, these angulas are now rare and very expensive. There are also imitation angulas which can be purchased cheaply made of surimi. | |
| Widespread | Smoked eel | Smoked eel is considered a delicacy in many localities, such as northern Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech republic, Poland, Denmark and Sweden. |
Sustainability and conservation
Eels are a Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework. The European eel is listed as Critically Endangered on the global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. While the Japanese eel and American eel are assessed as Endangered.In 2010, Greenpeace International added the American eel, European eel, and Japanese eel to its seafood red list. "The Greenpeace International seafood red list is a list of fish that are commonly sold in supermarkets around the world, and which have a very high risk of being sourced from unsustainable fisheries."
The US government deems the commercial eel industry was worth $12 million in Maine in 2017.