Eel is easier to skin immediately after it has been killed, and it should be cooked as soon as possible after skinning and gutting (as with most any fish). In general, eels will come to you already killed, but with skin intact. The skin is very slippery so you’ll need to use a towel to help you grip it. Once skinned, you can cut it crosswise into medium-sized sections for baking, or into smaller sections that can then be sliced for stir-frying, steaming, or grilling.
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| Using a kitchen towel, hold the eel near its head. Make a cut in the skin all around the base of the head, not cutting completely through. |
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| Take hold of the head with the towel, and use pliers to pull the skin away from the cut made around the base of the head. |
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| Still grasping the head end of the eel with a towel in one hand, take hold of the freed skin with another towel in your other hand. Pull firmly to peel off the skin from the whole length of the eel in one piece. |
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| Starting at the head end, make a cut down the length of the underside of the eel. Remove the guts (viscera). Rinse the eel in cold running water and pat dry. |
