It is hard to find a more distinctive fish than eel.
Across Europe, eel was once a culinary bastion. In London, East Enders would traditionally consume jellied eels. Poles chose to bake them, while Spaniards enjoyed them fried. The Belgians stewed; the Italians grilled and the Dutch smoked.
In the last decades, however, the eel has been at the centre of a battle between environmental groups and industry, one which has damaged the eel’s image. But is the contention justified? Have eels had their day?
The fishing town of Spackenburg, the Netherlands was the centre of an eel catching industry that once fished over 90 kilograms of eels per hectare in the formerly saltwater Zuider Zee.
But
