Eel fish
Good afternoon, dear readers! Eel is a fish popular among gourmets. Its closest relative is the moray eel.
The fish has a special shape of body and head; in appearance it resembles a snake. This fish is used to make soups, stews, fry, bake and boil.
In a number of countries it is an ingredient in national dishes. And fishermen consider it an honor to catch a larger specimen.
Eel does not disappear from the shelves all year round. Fish has a delicious taste, high nutritional value and benefits the body.
What kind of fish, where is it found, description
Eel is a rather unusual fish. Outwardly, she looks like a snake. It has a cylindrical body shape and a slightly convex tail. And the whole body is covered with a layer of mucus. The eel is characterized by a heterogeneous shade.
Its back is black, its belly is yellowish, and its sides are yellowish. The eel does not have a very large head; it is flattened on the sides. The fish is a predator. It feeds on small crustaceans, fry, and caviar.
Their favorite delicacies are snails, worms and small animals. The fish moves silently and can freeze in ambush for a long time. In the warm season, acne is most active. In winter, they spend the energy accumulated over the summer and hunt much less often.
Scientists have found that this fish can quickly adapt to new conditions. For this reason, eel is distributed in different areas. River eels can survive without water.
But there is an important condition - the external environment must have the required amount of moisture.
When an eel reaches sexual maturity, it heads to the ocean. Sometimes they even move on land, covering part of the path. Then you can see an eel crawling in the grass.
Sometimes people confuse this fish with a snake. The eel itself is not dangerous to people. But occasionally it can interfere with the operation of hydraulic structures, although the fish tries to avoid obstacles.
Female eels spawn in the waters of the Sargasso Sea. By the way, the females die after this. The female lays up to half a million eggs. They are carried away by the current to the shores of Europe. The fish grows quite slowly.
Only at the age of five do they reach a length of one meter and a weight of up to one and a half kilograms. But specimens were recorded whose length was 2 meters.
Diet
The river eel, being a predator, comes out to feed at night. During the spawning of other fish species, he feeds on their eggs, and his favorite caviar is carp. But the serpentine predator also feeds on small fish (lamreys, sculpins), newts and frogs. Sometimes the food becomes larvae, snails, crustaceans and worms.
The electric eel is unique. It eats prey stunned by a discharge of electricity. Moreover, electricity is not generated constantly: the number of discharges is always limited. It is not dangerous to humans, but the electric shock causes severe pain.
Kinds
Eels can be found virtually everywhere. They are divided into 2 main types: river and sea. Each species can be divided into subspecies. 18 varieties of this fish have been registered.
Their name depends on the eel’s habitat. The American and European eels are of the greatest value.
This feature is due to the fact that these subspecies can move through both salt and fresh water bodies.
River eels can be found in various reservoirs of the European part of Russia, in the Baltic Sea basin, and much less in lakes and rivers of the Black, Azov, Barents, White and Caspian seas.
River eels
These subspecies are also called anadromous. The fact is that during spawning they move from fresh waters to the salty waters of the ocean. Japanese river eel can also thrive in any water.
It is found in the China Sea, off the coast of Japan, Taiwan, and Korea. The Japanese eel glows in the dark. It is the most valuable type of fish delicacy. Fish takes pride of place in Japanese national cuisine. Local chefs use it to prepare rolls and sushi.
Another exotic species is the electric eel. For defense, it is capable of generating electricity. This feature also helps him in hunting. The fish is capable of delivering a shock of up to 600 volts. This leads to stunning or even death of a large animal.
Sea eels
Atlantic conger - this fish is often confused with a sea snake. The meat of conger eel is tastier than that of the river eel. It has a minimum of bones and is much juicier.
The conger eel has no scales on its body. Fish are found in rock crevices, grottoes, and inside dead ships. This conger eel breeds in the Atlantic (between the Azov Islands and Gibraltar).
Among sea eels there are unusual specimens that live in colonies of several hundred pieces. The garden eel has an original spotted coloration. He “stands” in the water almost all the time, imitating a tree.
If you observe a school of eels in this position, it will resemble a garden. If danger approaches, fish hide in holes at the bottom. Garden eels are found in the Red Sea and off the coast of Madagascar.
Moray eel is also one of the common eel-like fish. Moray eels have the same elongated body and fins as their closest relatives, but differ in body color.
Moray eel is a predator, nocturnal, and lives in tropical warm waters. It feeds on smaller inhabitants of the deep sea. Moreover, moray eels swallow their prey whole. Moray eel meat is considered the most expensive delicacy.
In the photo - River, sea, electric and garden eels
Do acne have a variety?
There are types of acne, but they differ little from each other:
- eels living in fresh water are a detachment of bony fish;
- ocean eels - conger eel and moray eel;
- similar in structure fish - electric eel and lamprey.
Read here Bystryanka - description of the fish, characteristics, habits, ways of how and what to catch fish with (100 photos + video)
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Compound
The meat of this fish contains substances that are beneficial to health.
The product contains:
- Vitamin A. It improves the functioning of the visual system and stops the aging process.
- Vitamin E. It is involved in virtually all biochemical processes.
- Vitamin group B. These elements have a positive effect on the nervous system and many other organs.
- Vitamin D. It keeps bones and teeth strong.
The meat of this fish contains mineral elements in large quantities.
Among them:
- Copper,
- Zinc,
- Cobalt,
- Manganese,
- Iron,
- Calcium.
Color
The color varies depending on age - the larvae (up to 5.5-6.5 cm long) are completely transparent with black eyes (they were previously classified as a separate order Leptocephalus); young eels are darkly colored - from gray to greenish-brown; the third stage (adults) are yellow to greenish-brown; Mature eels are dark brown with a gray-silver belly.
Benefit
1. The product must be included in the menu of people of all ages. But this does not apply to raw fish. The benefit comes from a product that undergoes sufficient heat treatment.
2. The meat of this fish improves muscle tone, normalizes the nervous system, and stabilizes blood circulation.
3. With regular use, heart function improves, tissue regeneration and wound healing occur faster.
4. By consuming this delicacy, you can avoid the development of cancer.
For men
Acne can help a man solve some intimate problems. The product helps to quickly recover from hard work or illness. The fish diet calms the nervous system and is a kind of antidepressant.
For women
The product regulates sex hormones and thyroid function. If there is eel on the menu, a woman retains her youth and attractive appearance. By consuming this delicacy, you can increase your libido.
During pregnancy
During pregnancy, eel is eaten with great caution. Meat may contain heavy metals. As for river specimens, they can be infected with parasites.
For children
The product is not suitable as complementary food for children under one year of age. But older children can cook steamed eel dishes. The introduction of any fish into the menu begins with a minimum portion, and then gradually increases it. Eel dishes should not be on children's menus more than twice a week. This is due to the risk of mercury in the product.
When losing weight
Eel is well absorbed by the body. Even a small piece of this fish will quickly satisfy your hunger. The product is often used in dietary nutrition. But when losing weight, it is advisable to give up salty and smoked foods.
Reproduction
The eel reaches sexual maturity later than other fish: at 5–12 years. Regardless of where this representative of the ichthyofauna lives, in a river or sea, its spawning occurs only in the sea. This explains the fact that river forms live only in sea basins: when they reach sexual maturity, the fish moves downstream and remains in the sea to procreate.
When the water warms up to +16...+17 degrees Celsius, the spawning period begins. The fertility of females is greater in marine representatives of eels (about 7–8 million eggs); river forms have a fertility of up to 500,000 eggs. The diameter of the eggs is approximately 1 millimeter. The sea eel dies immediately after spawning. The eggs hatch into larvae that initially float on the surface of the water.
Eels do not have sexual characteristics until they reach sexual maturity. Typically, sex differences become obvious in fish by 9–12 years of age. At the same time, the eel is darker on the back, and the sides and belly acquire a silvery color. Scientists have not yet established why the eel makes such long migrations to sea waters to reproduce.
Thus, eel is a commercial fish that has high taste qualities. But the eel is generally a unique fish, the uniqueness of which is associated with the peculiarities of its appearance, the method of stunning prey, as well as the place that is usually chosen as a spawning ground.
How to choose and how to store
In order for fish to be tasty and healthy, it should be chosen correctly. You should definitely appreciate the smell of eel. It should not have a characteristic fishy aroma. Next, the eel's skin is examined. It should be smooth and shiny.
You can also determine the freshness of fish by the eyes. If they are clear, then the fish is most likely fresh. According to another test, you need to press on the carcass with your finger. In a low-quality specimen, the pit remains for a long time.
It is advisable to use fresh fish as soon as possible. You can keep the fish on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for several hours. Only cut fish is stored in the freezer. The approximate shelf life of the product is 2 months.
Smoked eels
Natural enemies
In the aquatic environment, it is difficult to express the specific type of predators that prefer to hunt eels. There is absolutely no threat to adult fish in rivers. Due to their size and habits, no one can threaten these aquatic individuals. But the inhabitants of the seas have something to fear. Eels are a delicious delicacy for shark or tuna.
If we consider younger fish, then predators such as pike, cormorants, seagulls and others would not mind considering them as prey. But even these representatives cannot be considered serious hunters.
The main enemies of eels have always been, are and will always be people. Since it is an exquisite delicacy due to its tender meat, hunting it is very common.
What can be prepared and taste qualities
The fish meat is fatty and slightly sweet. Tasters compare it to catfish meat. The eel has thick skin and virtually no bones. In Japan and China, a number of exotic dishes are prepared from it.
Anyone who wants to try raw fish dishes should exercise caution. In China, tourists can try eel casserole with garlic, bamboo shoots and soy sauce.
Japanese restaurant menus include eel soup. Europeans prepare expensive delicacies from this fish. Housewives at home can make simple but tasty dishes from eel for the family menu.
This fish is suitable for cooking:
- pickle,
- borscht,
- fish soup,
- fish salad,
- cold snacks,
- kebab, balyk.
In order for the fish to retain all its beneficial properties, it is worth cooking it in the oven. True, fried eel in a frying pan turns out to be the most delicious and appetizing.
This dish is not a shame to serve even at the holiday table. Experienced fishermen have tried grilled eel at least once in their lives. You can even prepare it in the field.
The female differs from the male only in size and weight
What is so attractive about this fish delicacy? Eel fillet contains many vitamins. It is saturated with healthy fats that protect the body from exhaustion. The meat is unusually soft with a delicate pleasant taste. There are people who are disdainful of eating this product because of its resemblance to a snake. To some extent, there is a danger. Toxins are produced in the blood of the river specimen. However, with proper heat treatment they are destroyed. This is why it is better not to eat raw meat. Fillet is fried, boiled, smoked, baked, marinated. Ukha is a real delicacy for gourmets.
Development of the American eel
Newborn larvae are completely transparent, laterally compressed - similar to a willow leaf. American eel larvae (up to 18 months old) drift along the Gulf Stream to the coastal waters of the American and Canadian Atlantic coastlines. Some larvae are carried to the Gulf of Mexico. This path can take up to 8-12 months. At this time, the larvae grow up to 5 cm. On average, the daily growth is 0.21-0.38 mm. When young eels are in coastal waters they darken. At this age, gender cannot yet be determined. The second stage of development lasts 3-12 months. Having arrived at the place, the females rise upstream of rivers and streams, and the males remain in the coastal waters until they are fully developed. American eels develop faster in brackish and salt water than in freshwater.
Related article European river eel (Anguilla anguilla)
