Eel for The Christmas Eve Soup

        Serving Eel is a traditional Italian Christmas dish. It is popular also with the Swedes, Dutch, French and English. In Victorian days, the eel pie was a feature of English fairs. In North America's past, the eel captured in the St. Lawrence and along the Richelieu river in Quebec was believed to have the best taste. In England, the eel of the Severn river was reputed to be of the meatiest grade, so much so, in fact, that before the World Wars the Dutch kept two eel ships moored off of London bridge in accord with an ancient charter.
       In North America, the eel is spawned in the Saragossa sea near Bermuda. Two thousand feet below the surface, the eel emerges from it's egg, a flat and transparent creature. After growing an inch in length, the eel then joins the rest of the herd that starts its migration north.
       The eels will swim for thousands of miles along the coast, heading into estuaries and tidal marshes. Males generally settle down, but the female restlessly moves on until finding waters exactly to her liking. After settling, the eels feed and grow rapidly, adding a row of tiny scales with each birthday. When eight years old, they reach maturity. Then they return to the Saragossa sea to spawn. It is said they turn a silvery white during the breeding period.
       Italian women have many special dishes for preparing this Christmas treat. There are recipes for baking, grilling and frying. The Swedes sell eel for smorgasbord. Cutting it into short lengths, they boil it tender and then mold the flaked white flesh in piquant vinegar aspic.

A lovely Italian grandma makes baccala & eel Soup!