Eel

Known as anguille (France), anguilla (Italy), anguila (Spain).

The European and American eel is spawned in the Sargasso Sea (part of the North Atlantic Ocean, lying roughly between the West Indies and the Azores), then swims up to 7,000 km (4,000 miles) to find the fresh waters of its ancestors, only returning to the Sargasso to spawn and then die.

The larvae of European eels travel with the Gulf Stream across the ocean and, after three years, reaches the UK at an approximate size of 4.5 cm (2 in). At this size, they are known as glasseels, due to the transparency of their body. Glasseels are good to eat deep-fried, rather like whitebait, although they are not quite as crisp.

By their second winter in fresh water the elvers become small yellow eels, which are not quite as tasty. However, when they make the journey back to their spawning grounds, their bodies turn bodies turn silvery and they become known as silver eels; these are excellent to eat– succulent, meaty, even textured and very rich.

Always try to buy live eels - they become tough once they are killed. Alternatively, ask your fishmonger to kill and skin them for you and to chop them into 8 cm (3 in) pieces. These may be stewed in red wine; wrapped in bacon and grilled; sautéed with bay leaves or poached with stock, vegetables and bouquet garni then added to gelatine to make jellied eels. Alternatively, ask for 1 cm (1/2 in) pieces, which may be deep fried in the same way as glasseels: washed, dried, then dipped in flour and cooked immediately in hot oil.