Spring onion and leek broth with smoked eel.
Serves 4
– 1 smoked eel
– 1200ml water
– 2 leeks
– 100g floury white potatoes (peeled and sliced) – 6 spring onions
– 4 garlic scapes
– 1 lemon
– salt
To fillet the eel, follow the same technique you would with a flat fish such as whiting or trout. The tail half of the fillet will not have any bones, but the top section will have bones in the rib structure. Cut that part out and divide into four 100-gram portions.
Retain the bones and skin and cut them up roughly before combining them in a pot with the water.
Cut the leek into three sections across then wash thoroughly.
Place the centre section in the pot with the eel bones and skin, then bring to the boil before lowering the temperature and skimming the impurities that will float to the surface. Keep this stock simmering for a further 20 minutes before straining.
Place the base of the leek into the strained stock and bring up to a simmer for 10 minutes before adding the base of the spring onions. Cook for a further three minutes then remove the leek and the onion and divide them between your four serving bowls.
Add the potato and half of the leek tops with the spring onion tops and garlic scapes and bring to the boil for five minutes until the potato breaks down. Transfer to an upright blender and puree before passing the broth through a fine strainer and reserving the liquid.
Warm the eel portions using either a blowtorch or quickly under a grill. The aim is to just gently warm the fat on the surface, not to cook it further, as they have gone through a cooking process when being smoked.
Place the eel on the onions in the serving bowls, then season the broth with lemon juice and salt as required before pouring it over the top.
Serve with bread.