Consider the Eel

“Everything you always wanted to know about eels. . . . Will delight anyone with a taste for natural history. . . . Schweid is just as interested in the nexus of eel and humankind.”—New York Times Book Review

“Much of the charm of Consider the Eel is that Richard Schweid imparts his freshly acquired knowledge in the words of those directly involved in the industry. . . . Schweid has given us a perceptive, contemporary snapshot of their changing world. The result is a fine piece of archival writing. . . . No fishery enthusiast should be without it.”—Times Literary Supplement

“Schweid helps us realize what a strange and fascinating little fish the eel is . . . combining elementary biology with recipes from England, Europe, and America, historical notes on fishing and cooking, and present-day interviews with fishers and others.”—Library Journal

“An engaging look at an important food fish. . . . Schweid delves into both the science and the folklore surrounding this fish.”—Booklist

“With wit and enthusiasm, Schweid tells the story of a fascinating creature. . . . [Consider the Eel offers] precise observation, dry wit, impassioned reporting without a hint of polemic.”—Book Page

“Anyone with a curiosity about the sea will find Schweid’s taste of the eel strangely appealing.”—Publishers Weekly

“Schweid, author of earlier encomiums to such varied natural wonders as catfish, hot peppers and the cockroach, slithers across space and time from the Sargasso Sea to North Carolina’s Neuse River to take the measure of this least-understood fish species.”—Chicago Tribune

“A delightful little book.”—New Orleans Times-Picayune

“The eel is a slippery creature, but a tasty one, celebrated for its flavor in many parts of the world. Richard Schweid . . . has pinned down his slippery subject efficiently and with authority and wit.”—Colman Andrews, editor-in-chief, Saveur

“Richard Schweid has an uncanny knack for turning quirky research projects into travel adventures. His growing circle of ride-along readers, having followed him in search of hot peppers, catfish, and cockroaches, will delight in his sure-handed grasp of the slippery eel.”—John Egerton, author of Southern Food