Marinated Eel (Emilia-Romagna)

Fish

Ingredients

Eels (2-3 eels) - 2 1/2 pounds

Bay leaves - a few

Salt and pepper

Marinade:

Wine vinegar - 6 cups

Sage - 2-3 sprigs

Garlic - 2 cloves

Peel of 2 oranges or lemons

Seedless white raisins - 1 tbsp

Pine nuts - 1 tbsp

Chopped candied peel - 1 tsp

Black peppercorns - 5-6

Cut the unskinned eels into 2 inch lengths and thread them on to skewers, with a bay leaf in the middle of each skewer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and broil as directed in the preceding recipe.

Marinade: Pour the vinegar into a non-metallic pan. Add the next five ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. After 25 minutes, add the candied peel and peppercorns.

Remove the pieces of eel from the skewers and put them into another non-metallic pan. Pour over the marinade and bring to a boil again. Transfer to a large earthenware jar, cover and leave in a cool place for at least 2 days before using. Eels prepared this way will keep for sometime, provided they are completely covered with marinade.

Serves 6