Angulas
(Angulas a la Bilbaína, Txitxardin, Glass Eels, Elvers)
Known as ''the caviar of Northern Spain,'' angulas are baby eels, a Spanish seafood delicacy that's typically consumed with oil and garlic. They're also one of Spain's most expensive foods, reaching prices of up to 1,000 euros per kilo, which is pretty strange for some people who claim they don't taste of much at all.
However, others praise angulas for their delicate, meaty texture. When alive, the baby eels are slimy and transparent, and when cooked, they turn opaque-white. The most traditional recipe for the preparation of these eels comes from Bilbao (Angulas a la Bilbaína), and it calls for frying hot peppers and garlic in olive oil, then adding the baby eels to the mix.
The dish, usually reserved for the festive Christmas season, is served in earthenware bowls, with special wooden cutlery on the side, which is used to stop any metallic tint disrupt the flavor, but also to get a better grip on the smooth-skinned eels. Read more
The season for catching the baby eels starts in November, and the fishermen usually catch them with scoop nets on cold, rainy, and moonless nights when the tide is strong. In the past, when angulas were plentiful and inexpensive, it was the food of the working class in the region, but as time went by they became scarce, and prices rose.
Nowadays they are listed as critically endangered due to overfishing and environmental degradation, but they're also very fashionable in some social circles. If you'd like to avoid overpaying for angulas, there's also the gula – imitation baby eel made from surimi, which is available in most supermarkets at affordable prices.
