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Lithuanian Hot-Smoked Eel

Rūkytas Ungurys

In the fishing villages of the Curonian Spit, smokehouses have hung eels over smoldering alder wood for generations. The eel comes out golden, rich and smoky, and is eaten with rye bread, onion and a cold beer.

  • Prep 30 min
  • Cook 2 h 30 min
  • Serves 4–6
  • Level Medium
Photo: DR pics / Adobe Stock
Served with: Lithuanian Cold Pink Beet Soup ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the eel

For smoking

Method

Step by step, the way it is done there.

  1. Clean off the slime. Rub the eels firmly with coarse salt and wipe them down with paper towels to remove the slime. Repeat until the skin feels clean. Rinse.
  2. Brine. Dissolve the salt in the water with the peppercorns and bay leaves. Submerge the eels and chill 4–6 hours.
  3. Dry. Rinse, pat dry and hang the eels (or lay them on racks) in a cool, airy spot about 1 hour, until the skin feels tacky.
  4. Warm-smoke. Start the smoker low, around 140 °F (60 °C), and smoke the eels over alder 30–40 minutes so the skin dries and colors.
  5. Hot-smoke. Raise the heat to 175–190 °F (80–90 °C) and smoke 1–1½ hours more, until the eel is golden and the flesh pulls easily from the backbone (at least 145 °F / 63 °C inside).
  6. Serve. Let it cool a little. Cut into pieces, peel back the skin and serve with dark rye bread, raw onion, lemon and cold beer. Buy eel only from licensed fisheries: European eel is protected and catches are strictly limited.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Lithuanian Cold Pink Beet Soup
Lithuania

Lithuanian Cold Pink Beet Soup

Šaltibarščiai

The famous bright pink soup of Lithuanian summers: grated beets, cucumber and dill in cold kefir, with hot boiled potatoes on the side.

  • Prep 20 min
  • Cook 15 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 3 medium beets, cooked and peeled (or pickled beets)
  • 2 small cucumbers
  • 4 scallions, sliced
  • 3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
  • 4 cups cold kefir or buttermilk
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
  • 4 hot boiled potatoes, to serve

How to make it

  1. Grate. Grate the beets and cucumbers into a large bowl.
  2. Mix. Add the scallions, dill and salt, pour in the cold kefir and stir until it turns bright pink.
  3. Chill. Chill at least 30 minutes.
  4. Serve. Ladle into bowls, top with egg halves and dill, and serve with hot potatoes on the side.

More ways to cook Eel

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Aveiro, PortugalAveiro Eel Stew over Toasted Bread
Naples, ItalyNeapolitan Christmas Eve Fried Eel
La Albufera, Valencia, SpainValencian Eel Stew with Garlic and Paprika