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Calabrian Capitone Eel in Tomato Sauce

Calabrian Capitone Eel in Tomato Sauce is a traditional seafood main course made with peeled tomatoes, olives and capers. Here's how to make it.
Recipe Calabrian Capitone Eel in Tomato Sauce
  • Difficulty Easy
  • Preparation 30 minutes
  • Cooking 20 minutes
  • Servings for 6 people

Capitone is simply the female eel, which grows larger than the males. Typical of Southern Italian cooking, capitone is used above all in Christmas holiday recipes, since it is a rich, very flavorful fish, and it has become one of the main ingredients on the festive tables of Southern Italy.

Today we’re looking at a traditional recipe with an authentic flavor that is also very simple to make: Calabrian Capitone Eel in Tomato Sauce. This seafood main course is braised in Tomato Sauce so that the capitone meat stays juicy and flavorful. The layer of fat between the skin and the flesh of the capitone melts during cooking and blends with the Pan Juices, flavored with olives and capers, creating a wonderfully tasty sauce.

In short, a typical seafood main course that is savory, rich and tasty, ideal for a nice winter Sunday lunch with the family, rediscovering together the traditional regional flavors of Calabria. And if you’re worried you won’t manage to remove the slimy layer from the capitone’s skin, don’t worry: in the tips at the end of the recipe we’ll share a quick and easy trick to do it.

And if you’d like to try other Calabrian specialties with a traditional flavor, try our recipes: Calabrian Crushed Olives, Chili Pepper Jam, the original Pitta Calabrese, Calabrian Stuffed Schiaffettoni, Calabrian Vrasciole and Snails in Tomato Sauce.

Now everyone into the kitchen and let’s put on our aprons: let’s make this wonderfully flavorful Calabrian Capitone Eel in Tomato Sauce together.

Ingredients for 6 people

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Method

  1. To make the Calabrian Capitone Eel in Tomato Sauce, first clean the fish: remove the head, gut it, cut it into pieces and rinse it well under running water, then let it drain on paper towels.
    Calabrian Capitone Eel in Tomato Sauce, step 1: capitone cut into pieces and draining on paper towels
  2. In a large skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil and brown the capitone pieces on all sides, then add a chopped mixture of onion and garlic and let the flavors blend for a few moments.
    Calabrian Capitone Eel in Tomato Sauce, step 2: capitone pieces browning in a skillet with onion and garlic
  3. Add the olives, the desalted capers and the tomato passata as well, season with salt and cook over low heat, covered, for about twenty minutes.
    Calabrian Capitone Eel in Tomato Sauce, step 3: capitone simmering in tomato sauce with olives and capers
  4. Once ready, serve your Calabrian Capitone Eel in Tomato Sauce right away, finishing the dish with black pepper and some chopped fresh parsley. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

For a truly Calabrian touch to this seafood main course, add some fresh chili pepper, sliced into rounds, and sauté it with the chopped garlic and onion. And if you prefer a thicker, richer sauce, perfect for “scarpetta” (mopping up the plate with bread), use tomato passata.

Tips

If you want to remove the slimy layer from the capitone’s skin quickly and effectively, try this foolproof method: rub the capitone’s skin vigorously with coarse salt for a few minutes and then rinse it under cold running water, and you’ll see it comes out perfectly clean. To desalt the capers, on the other hand, leave them to soak in half a glass of white wine for about 5 minutes: they will lose their salt while keeping all their flavor. Even after this step, though, we still recommend salting the capitone lightly during cooking and adjusting the salt only once it is ready.

Storage

Calabrian Capitone Eel in Tomato Sauce keeps in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 2 days. When ready to eat, reheat it for a few moments in the microwave or in a skillet, adding a few tablespoons of water if needed to keep the sauce from drying out too much.

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