Roasted eel with garlic, rosemary and buttered polenta
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Maria Grazia Soncini roasts eel with garlic and rosemary in this delicious seafood starter recipe, an innovative dish which is very quick and easy to prepare. The chef accompanies the eel with creamy, white polenta, a staple of northern Italy.
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Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Roast eel
- 1 eel, about 1kg, gutted
- 10 garlic cloves
- 10 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 200ml of dry white wine
- 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
White polenta
- 100g of white polenta
- 400ml of water
- 50g of butter
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Chargrill pan
- Skewers
Method
1
Cut the eel into 10 chunks, taking care not to damage the skin. Using a chargrill or griddle pan, sear the eel quickly over a high heat
- 1 eel, about 1kg
2
Allow the eel to cool, then butterfly each chunk by making a slice down the middle and pressing the eel, skin-side up, down on a board to loosen the spine. Carefully peel away the skeleton and rinse each chunk thoroughly under running water to remove any residual innards
3
Pat the eel chunks dry and place a clove of garlic and a few rosemary sprigs in the middle of each one. Fold the eel back together and skewer each chunk to form its original shape
- 10 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 10 garlic cloves
4
Preheat the oven to 180°C/ gas mark 4
5
Drizzle a baking tray with olive oil and arrange the eel on top. Season generously with salt and pepper and cook in the oven for 10 minutes
- 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
6
Remove the baking tray from the oven and pour over the white wine. Return to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes
- 200ml of dry white wine
7
Meanwhile, cook the polenta. Bring 400ml of water to a simmer and stir in the polenta. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring all the time, then stir through the butter until fully combined
- 50g of butter
- 100g of white polenta
- 400ml of water
8
To serve, spoon the polenta onto the serving plates and top with the chunks of eel. Spoon over the cooking juices from the eel and serve immediately
By taking the very best fish, seafood and game from the surrounding area and cooking it in a traditional manner, Grazia Soncini has managed to hold on to a Michelin star for over fifteen years. Cooking alongside her mother in the restaurant kitchen, she creates hearty dishes which remind guests of the family dinners they had as children.
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