Old Fisherman Roasted Eel (Chili Flavour)
Eely Good Time!
Originally Published: Friday, January 13, 2023
Specs
Eels? In MY pantry?Backstory?
This is a product that holds a special place in my heart. As someone who grew up on a sub-tropical Asian island, I am no stranger to the concept of typhoon season. During the warm summer months, Taiwan is extra susceptible to the ravages of tropical storms and typhoons. Bad storms often knock out water and power to your home, and natural gas is always shut off preemptively as a safety precaution.
During these blackouts, My family and I would sit around the dinner table with some flashlights, candles, a camping stove, and some non-perishable food. The storm would rage outside, but it’s a little camping adventure for the kids indoors. This tin would often end up on the dining table along side some instant noodles and pickled bamboo shoots.
Warning: Biased rating at the end.
Nice sheen on the eel filletsWhat is it?
It is canned eel. To be precise, this is the Old Fisherman brand roasted conger eel with chili. The company has been making canned seafood since the 50’s and are still going strong. You may be familiar with the popular Japanese style unagi eel at your local sushi restaurant. Conger eels are their sea-dwelling cousins.
How is it?
A sweet, fragrant scent immediately enters the sinuses upon opening this can. That’s the scent of the sweet and tangy chili sauce that coats the eel in savoury, umami goodness. While not quite the same as the kabayaki style sauce you usually encounter at the sushi bar due to the added punch from the good amount of chili oil, it does share some of the sweet and savoury flavours with its Japanese cousin.
The fillets of eel are preserved in good shape, with bones intact. If you’re a fan of canned fish you’ll be familiar with the texture of these bones; they are melt-in-your-mouth soft from the canning process. Individual fillets can be removed from the can relatively easily without damaging them.
Eels on top of my zha jiang mianThe first notes that hit the palate will be the sweetness in the sauce. Although sweet, the sauce isn’t saccharine or syrupy. The savoury umami notes from the soy-based sauce quickly follow the sugar hit and enhances the flavours of the eel. Spiciness from the chilis comes shortly after and rounds out the experience, lingering on the tongue with a pleasant tingle.
The texture of the eel is probably the weakest part of this experience. The meat is a bit crumbly, and reminds me of another staple Asian preserve: pork floss. If you’ve had pork floss in congee you would know what I mean. If you haven’t, imagine a texture akin to chewing on a bit of cotton wool that slowly crumbles away. It may sound like I’m badmouthing pork floss, but I am not, it’s just unfortunate that the eel’s natural texture is not preserved. Fresh eels have a springy texture to the flesh due to their high collagen content and the canning process diminishes one of the most desirable parts of eating an eel.
The flavour of the eel itself is quite subtle. Conger eels have a subtler and less “muddy” flavour compare to freshwater eels and allows it to be quite a neutral ingredient. There is a great umami flavour to the flesh, amplified by the sauce, that will linger for a long time after you’re done with the can. Just a hint of smoke at the very end of the tasting rounds off the experience and reminds you that this was indeed meant to simulate a grilled fish.
The contents are seriously no-frills. The only things occupying the can are eels and sauce. There isn’t a high liquid content in each can either, so you’re left with very little sauce in the can after finishing the fish. As a kid, I would pour the sauce onto my bowl of rice, but it’s a bit sweet for me as an adult.
The fish actually looks grilled, in some partsHow does it compare?
Overall, this is a pretty unique product. These are not flavours, textures, and ingredients you will find commonly find. Eels are generally underappreciated as an ingredient in cooking, I think largely due to their appearance.
The product is priced well, usually around $3.00 CAD. The suggested servings also recommend trying it as the protein in your fried rice or stir-fry, which seems like a good use of the sweet and tangy sauce.
I cannot give this product anything but a yum, and based on the price I think it deserves a few stars. Keep in mind that this is an extremely biased rating as my nostalgia means I will reach for this product more often than others.
I recommend giving it a shot. You never know, you may have a new favourite treat for those stormy nights.