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1
Boil the Potatoes
20 Mins
Boiling, 100°C (212°F)
Put the potatoes in a pot, cover with cold salted water and bring to a boil. Boil for 18 minutes until tender, then drain and keep warm.
Start the potatoes in cold water so they cook evenly — dropped into boiling water, the outside turns to mush before the centre is done.
Done when: A knife slides easily into the largest potato.
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2
Make the Green Herb Sauce
15 Mins
Medium heat, ~160°C (320°F)
Melt half the butter in a wide pan over medium heat and soften the shallots and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the sorrel, spinach, parsley, chervil and mint with the white wine and 2 g of salt, cover, and wilt for 4 minutes until the leaves have collapsed. Blend the mixture until smooth, then push it through a sieve back into the pan for a silky sauce.
Blend the herbs while they are still hot and sieve the sauce — the sieve is what turns a rough green purée into the silky sauce this dish is known for.
Done when: A smooth, bright green sauce with no visible leaf pieces.
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3
Poach the Eel in the Sauce
12 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~85°C (185°F)
Lay the eel pieces in the green sauce in a single layer, add the lemon juice, cover, and poach gently for 10 minutes. Do not let the sauce boil — a lazy simmer is enough, and the eel should flake easily but stay in one piece.
Keep the sauce just below a boil — a rolling boil toughens the eel and turns the bright green sauce dull.
Done when: Eel that flakes easily with a fork, opaque all the way through, and at least 63°C (145°F) at the thickest part.
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4
Finish the Sauce with Cream & Yolk
5 Mins
Off the heat, ~70°C (160°F)
Take the pan off the heat. Stir the cream into the sauce, then whisk in the egg yolk a little at a time — the sauce should be hot enough to thicken it, but not so hot that it scrambles. Season with the remaining salt and the white pepper.
Take the pan off the heat before the yolk goes in — if the sauce is boiling, the yolk scrambles and the sauce turns grainy.
Done when: A glossy sauce that coats the back of a spoon.
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5
Plate & Serve
5 Mins
No heat
Spoon the eel and plenty of green sauce into warm bowls, set the boiled potatoes beside it, and finish with a lime wedge and a scatter of chopped chives or parsley on each plate. Serve at once.
Warm the bowls first — the sauce cools fast, and a cold bowl is what makes this dish feel flat instead of generous.
Done when: Hot eel in a glossy green sauce, with warm potatoes and a lime wedge within reach.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Spoon the eel and plenty of green sauce into warm bowls, set the potatoes beside it, and finish with a lime wedge on each plate — the sharp citrus is what lifts the rich sauce.
Belgium
1h
