Ingredients
The plate
- 2whole hot-smoked eel, bought
- 8 slicessoft white bread, or a fresh white roll
- 80 ggood salted butter, soft
- 1lemon, in wedges
- black pepper
Optional
- a little horseradish cream
- chopped chives
- raw onion, sliced very thin
Directions
- Buy it smoked. Hot-smoking eel is a smokehouse job, and the Volendam and Harderwijk smokehouses have done it for generations.
- Take the eel out of the fridge 20 minutes before eating. Cold from the fridge the fat is set solid and the flavour is muted; at room temperature it is a different fish.
- Cut the head off, then run a knife down the back along the spine. Lift the fillets off in two long strips — the flesh comes away from the backbone cleanly if the eel is properly smoked.
- Peel the skin off with your fingers, working from the head end. It should come away in one piece.
- Butter the white bread generously. White, not brown — the eel is rich and smoky and a dark rye competes with it rather than carrying it, which is why the Dutch are firm on this.
- Lay the fillets on the buttered bread, grind over black pepper, and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze at the table.
- Add horseradish, chives or onion if you like, but the classic version is eel, butter, white bread and lemon and nothing else.
Technique
- Room temperature, not fridge-cold. This is the single thing that most changes how it eats.
- White bread and real butter. It sounds trivially simple and the Dutch will correct you on both.
- European eel is critically endangered and its trade is restricted under CITES — buy only from a source that can say where it came from.
Substitutions
- Smoked mackerel, which is far more sustainable and works well on the same plate.
- Smoked trout, which is milder.
- A soft white roll in place of sliced bread.
Variations
- Served on a bed of ice at a market stall, eaten with the fingers.
- Made into a smoked eel salad with apple and horseradish.
History
Smoked around the former Zuiderzee, at Volendam and Harderwijk; the 1932 Afsluitdijk cut the salt water and reshaped the eel fishery.
Frequently asked questions
What is Gerookte paling?
Gerookte paling is a charcuterie & cured from Netherlands: hot-smoked eel, rich and oily, eaten on white bread with lemon. Smoked around the former Zuiderzee, at Volendam and Harderwijk; the 1932 Afsluitdijk cut the salt water and reshaped the eel fishery.
How long does Gerookte paling take to make?
Gerookte paling takes 15 min of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Gerookte paling?
Yes, within limits. Smoked mackerel, which is far more sustainable and works well on the same plate. Smoked trout, which is milder. A soft white roll in place of sliced bread.
What is the most important thing to get right in Gerookte paling?
Butter the white bread generously. White, not brown — the eel is rich and smoky and a dark rye competes with it rather than carrying it, which is why the Dutch are firm on this.
