This time, I decided to grill freshwater eel at home.
I missed the taste of eel grilled over charcoal during my camping days, so after some consideration, I decided to give it a try.
In the outskirts of Chungju, where I live, there are freshwater eel farms.
These farms sell pre-grilled eel, and I had tried grilling it in a frying pan at home before, but the result wasn’t great.
However, I decided to give it another shot this time.
Choosing Prepared Freshwater Eel
After searching for prepared freshwater eel on Naver(Korean Search Engine), I found that the number of sellers had increased significantly.
It’s been quite some time since I went camping before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The typical price for 1kg of prepared freshwater eel, enough for two people, was around 30,000 won. 1kg of eel yields about 700g after preparation, which seemed a bit short for two eel lovers.
Adding another eel would have been too much. While pondering where to order, I found a vendor.
A company called HaedamSun was selling 1.15kg of eel.
This would yield about 800g after preparation, which seemed perfect for two people, so I placed an order.
By the way, I had previously purchased pre-grilled eel.
However, I learned that pre-grilled eel tends to fall apart when grilled in a frying pan.
This might explain why my previous experience with eel from a nearby farm wasn’t great.
It’s recommended to grill pre-grilled eel in an air fryer.
Arrived Freshwater Eel
Naver Smart Store’s delivery service has become quite fast these days.
The freshwater eel arrived the day after I ordered, packed with ice packs.
After removing the ice packs, I found the following items: pickled radish, pickled ginger, and two types of sauces, along with the freshwater eel.
The prepared freshwater eel was vacuum-packed.
I liked that the packaging date and expiration date were clearly marked on the label.
If you plan to eat it after the expiration date, it’s recommended to store it in the freezer.
Grilling Prepared Freshwater Eel in a Frying Pan
The delivered freshwater eel was quite large.
It came with two eels, one of which was particularly big.
Cutting them with scissors to fit in the frying pan required a bit of strength.
Perhaps because I didn’t eat them immediately after delivery, there was a lot of mucus, but it didn’t cause any problems.
I started grilling the skin side over low heat to prevent burning.
It was a bit of a hassle to flip them frequently over medium heat to prevent burning, but the visual result was good.
Review of Grilling Freshwater Eel in a Frying Pan
In conclusion, it was great.
It wasn’t as good as grilling over charcoal, but there was no odor, and the eel was excellent. However, the provided pickled ginger wasn’t great, so I had to slice a lot of ginger, which was a bit of a hassle. Also, the quality of the two eels wasn’t consistent.
I heard that grilling in an air fryer is also good, so I’ll try using an air fryer for smaller eels next time. I think it was a good choice not to buy pre-grilled eel.
First, I ordered imported beef, and this time, freshwater eel.
I’ll have to try another type of food next time. ^^