Recipe: Eels with Parsley

1 Place the eel pieces in a bowl and pour half a glass of wine vinegar over them, then season generously with salt and pepper. Let sit for twenty minutes, stirring occasionally, then rinse briefly.

2 Drain them and pat dry on absorbent paper.

3 Finally, coat them with flour by tossing them in a bag filled with your glass of flour. When dried this way, they'll only pick up a thin coating of flour, which is better for cooking and makes them more digestible.

4 Finely chop the three garlic cloves with the germ removed and the parsley.

5 Heat the olive oil, preferably using two pans so the pieces have enough room, and place the pieces in the hot oil starting with the thickest ones, then every three minutes add the medium and thin pieces. Season with salt and pepper.

6 Roast them over high heat, stirring frequently and gently, until they are nicely browned and crispy, which takes about fifteen to twenty minutes. At this point, combine the eels in a single pan, add the butter in small pieces, and as soon as it becomes foamy add the finely chopped garlic.

7 Continue cooking for two minutes, then add the golden breadcrumbs, and two minutes later add the simply chopped parsley.

8 Season with salt and pepper one last time, and transfer to a serving dish. Choose a dry Graves white, an Entre-deux-mers, or even a Muscadet to accompany this simple yet exceptional dish. As a red wine, a Pessac-Léognan, a Bergerac or a good Cahors also work well.