Serves 4
12 three inch pieces of fresh eel, skin removed, bone in
4 tbsp olive oil
½ cup Wondra flour
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
½ cup white wine
1 tsp chili flake
2 cups basic tomato sauce
2 cups shellfish stock or water
1# baby spinach
2 cups fresh ceci beans blanched & shocked (substitute canned if fresh not available)
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Ask your fish monger to skin and gut the fresh eel and to cut them into three inch pieces. In and earthenware oven or stove resistant dish preheat olive oil until just smoking. Season the eel with salt and pepper and dredge in Wondra flour until lightly coated. Brown the eel in the oil until golden brown on all sides. In the same pan with the eel quickly toast ½ of the sliced garlic with the chili flake and add white wine to stop the garlic from taking on too much color. Cover the eel with shellfish stock and basic tomato and braise until tender. About 8 – 10 minutes.
While the eel is cooking preheat a large sauté pan and slowly toast the remaining garlic in olive oil with the ceci beans. Add spinach and cook until wilted and water from spinach is evaporated. Split spinach mixture between four bowls and top each with three pieces of eel, a ladle of the braising liquid and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.
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