Ingredients for 4 people:
1kg of eels
Olive oil
1 large onion, diced
50 g of flour
sweet paprika
1 chili pepper
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
1 small slice of toasted bread
10 to 12 almonds
2 large potatoes, cubed
parsley
salt
water
Method
Wash the eels in cold water and remove the heads and the tips of the tails. Wash them again and dry with a cloth. Once cleaned, cut them into pieces measuring approximately 6 to 8 cm. Crush the cloves of garlic in a mortar and add to an earthenware dish when the oil is hot.
Dice the onion and when the garlic begins to fry, add it along with the flour and the paprika, stirring at the same time. Also add a fair amount of water, but bear in mind it must not cover the eels, which will be added when it comes to the boil. Peel and cube potatoes, place in the dish and boil for 10 mins. Once the eels are in, simply add salt and chilli pepper, the amount depending on how spicy the stew is intended to be.
Leave everything to cook for 15 or 20 minutes. Five minutes before it is cooked, add the almonds, parsley and the toasted bread, crushing it previously in the mortar.
Buyer's guide - Eels are most often sold live, although they are sometimes available as steaks. A live eel is quite something to manage, so ask your fishmonger for advice.
