Ash-Spiced Cave Eel
Ash-Spice Cave Eel is a smoky, seared dish made from thick-bodied subterranean eels, marinated in charred ashroot, firepepper, and black vinegar, then flash-seared in hot oil or grilled on heated slate. Beloved by surface-dwelling dwarves with adventurous tongues and forgeworkers with flameproof tastebuds, it's spicy, sticky, and leaves a gentle electric tingle in the lips.
"Slippery as a contract, hot as a forge.”
Manufacturing process
Instructions
- Make the Marinade
In a stone bowl, mix ashroot paste, firepepper, honey, vinegar, and salt. Taste it: it should be sweet, smoky, and punchy. Adjust with more heat or sweet as preferred. - Marinate the Eel
Coat eel pieces generously in the marinade. Let sit at least 2 hours, preferably overnight in a cool vault or coldstone. The meat should take on a dark, glossy sheen. - Cook the Eel
- Grill Method: Lay eel fillets on a heated slate slab or iron grill. Sear each side for 2–3 minutes until caramelized and just firm.
- Pan Method: Heat cave oil in a heavy pan until shimmering. Cook eel skin-side down first until crispy, flip, and brush with extra marinade until sticky and charred at the edges.
- Finish and Serve
Sprinkle with emberpepper flakes or crisped ash-shallots. Serve hot over tunnelgrain noodles, sourroot slaw, or on a stoneplate with charred fungus and pickled cave onions.
“If it squirms, it's fresh. If it bites back, cook it again.”
Significance
Cultural Notes
- Rite of Spice: In some coastal dwarven holds, first-time surface cooks must prepare this dish to prove they can “tame fire and slime in the same pot.”
- Feast Hall Favorite: Especially during the Festival of the Throat, celebrating bold flavors and dwarven stubbornness.
- Superstition: Some believe the cave eel’s natural resistance to the Bloom passes on when consumed, especially when cooked in ashroot.
Item type
Consumable, Food / Drink
Raw materials & Components
Ingredients (Serves 4)
- 2 medium-sized cave eels, skinned, cleaned, and sliced into thick filets (can substitute with unagi or fatty river eel)
- 2 tbsp ashroot paste (or roasted garlic + smoked paprika)
- 1 tbsp fermented firepepper mash
- 2 tbsp stone honey or treacle
- 1 tbsp black vinegar (or aged balsamic)
- 1 tbsp cave oil (or neutral oil with a hint of sesame)
- ½ tsp black rock salt
- Optional: A pinch of emberpepper flakes or powdered coal-chili for burn
Variants
- Ember-Fried: Dredge eel in Stonebread crumbs and deep fry after marinating.
- Molten-Glazed: Add a spoon of Molten Pickle Mix to the marinade for extra tang and burn.
- Stewfang Style: Serve chopped in thick Bonepaste Soup for a rich and spicy miner’s meal.
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