Bill, there are only two ways that I have ever had (or heard of having) eel. One is smoked. In Eastern Europe this is considered a delicacy. Most of my family adore it and consider it a real treat. I’ve seen nine year olds put away a substantial amount of this "delicacy" gladly.

As far as I am concerned, it is one of the few foods that I cannot STAND! While I will gladly eat herring, all manner of seafood, tripe, etc. I will not touch eel. It’s quite fatty and tastes of the mud at the bottom of the lake (IMHO).

Boiled, jellied eel with a vinegar parsley sauce is a traditional dish in London’s East End. It’s served in "pie and mash" shops. It used to be a poor man’s food in Victorian times when all that would survive in the Thames is the eel – and plentiful at that. Now it’s a touristy thing but several shops remain. When I visited the East End in 1987, I had pie and mash and left the eel to the other tourists!

Good Luck to you Bill!