"parrotheada1a" > wrote in message =
oups.com...
> Ahhh.......Musashi knows!!! One point to remember about canned eel
> though. Read the ingredient list!! Some of the canned stuff has hot
> peppers in it, (usually marked as chile peppers) you might not want =
to
> serve it in a large amount. A little heat is alright, but some of
> these this stuff packs a dope slap on the tongue.
>=20

Hot pepper in canned eel?=20
That's certainly not Japanese.
I'll bet the can is Korean.

> I have a question about cooking eels, I have managed to find an asian
> grocer that has some live from time to time. I've read in a few
> different books that It's advisable to marinate the freshly skinned
> eels before cooking. One book says salt, shoyu & a bit of sake, =
another
> says salt & sake and the third says to use sake with a few large =
pieces
> of ginger. Any advice on this?=20
>=20
> Jim
>

You mentioned "freshly skinned". Unagi is never skinned. Merely =
butterflied
and deboned.=20
When I used to make Unagi Kabayaki from eels I caught in my young days,
I didn't marinate them. However, certainly marinating with sake before =
cooking/
grilling would be a good idea with wild eels since it will take the =
"edge" off the wild
flavor. Perhaps a bit of salt also if you intend on enjoying your eel as =
Shirayaki.=20
Adding salt at this point I think would be a personal preference. It =
might be
a nice touch if the Kabayaki sauce you will be using leans toward the =
sweet side.
I have never heard of using Shoyu prior to cooking/grilling.Unagi is =
first
cooked as Shirayaki amd it is always fluffy white. At least the ones =
I've seen
and eaten.
On the last idea, using ginger could be interesting, especially at the =
marinade point.
Using ginger in the sauce would alter the flavor too much whereas =
marinating might
add just a touch.

M