Pawaru-Grahmata

№ 109III. nodaļa

Rullīši no zušiem

Eel roulades in a vinegar broth

  • Serves 6 as a cold first course
  • about 2 hours, plus cooling overnight
  • Melnraksts · vēl nav izmēģināts

1796Rullischi no suscheem.

Modernizētslpp. 195–197 · PDF 209–211
6 porcijas

The book gives one large eel; it gives no other amounts.

Method

9 soļi
  1. Scrub the eel with handfuls of coarse salt and kitchen paper to remove the slime, then rinse. Don't skin it.
  2. Cut off the head. Slit the eel along the back from end to end, keeping the belly skin whole, and open it out flat like a book. Rinse out any remaining blood and gut, cut out the backbone with a sharp knife and pat dry.
  3. Cut off the thin tail end, about a third of the eel, for the filling. If the main piece is longer than about 40 cm, cut it in half crosswise so the rolls won't be too thick.
  4. Simmer the tail pieces in salted water for 8–10 minutes, cool and pick all the flesh off the bones and skin.
  5. Chop the tail flesh finely with the salt, mace, parsley, lemon zest and the squeezed-out bread. Mix in the yolk and cream to a spreadable paste; add a few breadcrumbs if it is too soft, or a little more cream if it is too stiff.
  6. Lay the eel pieces skin side down and spread the filling thinly (about 5 mm) along the flesh. Sprinkle with the extra parsley and the chopped eggs. Roll up evenly and tightly from one end and tie with kitchen string crosswise and lengthwise every 2–3 cm.
  7. Bring the broth ingredients to the boil in a pan just big enough to hold the rolls and simmer for 10 minutes. Lower in the rolls (they should be covered) and simmer very gently for 25–35 minutes, until the centre reaches 72 °C (the filling contains raw yolk).
  8. Leave the rolls to cool in the broth, then keep them in it in the fridge overnight (our addition; they set firmer).
  9. Remove the string and serve whole, or cut into 1.5 cm rounds, with wine vinegar on the side.

Notes

What the book says vs. what we added

the book scrubs a large eel without skinning it, splits it along the back so the belly stays whole, takes out the backbone, dries it and cuts off the tail, cutting the eel again if it would roll up too thick. The tails are boiled and their flesh chopped with salt, mace, parsley, lemon peel and white bread soaked in milk, with yolk and cream, as thick as a dough. The filling is spread thinly along the flesh side, sprinkled with parsley and chopped hard-boiled egg, and the eel is rolled up tightly, tied crosswise and boiled in water with salt, 2 whole onions, bay leaves, a little wine and wine vinegar, then left to cool in its own broth. The rolls are served whole or in round slices "like lemon slices", with wine vinegar. The amounts, times and temperatures are ours.

Eel today

the European eel is critically endangered. The EU has banned its export and import since 2010 and restricts fishing. If you buy eel, ask for eel certified under the Sustainable Eel Group standard. Farmed eel is raised from wild-caught young eels, so it doesn't spare the wild stock.

Substitutes

butterflied mackerel, skin-on fillets of wels catfish or conger eel roll up well. Mackerel needs only 12–15 minutes.

Handling

have the fishmonger kill and gut the eel; killing a live eel humanely needs skill. Raw eel blood contains a toxin that cooking destroys, so keep it away from cuts and eyes, and wash hands and boards well.

Safety

cool the rolls quickly, keep them in the fridge and eat within 2 days.

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