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Is Eel kosher?

No — Eel is not kosher under Jewish dietary law.

Not kosher. Eels appear scaleless; any microscopic scales they may have do not qualify as halachic scales that can be removed without tearing the skin.

Eel (Anguilla anguilla)

Image: Photo by Charles J. Sharp · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Scientific name
Anguilla anguilla
Hebrew name
צלופח
Also known as
European eel, American eel, Anguilla, Unagi
Category
scaleless
Fins & scales
Fins ✓ , no scales ✗
Kosher status
Not kosher

About Eel

Elongated, snake-like fish of the order Anguilliformes. Unagi, popular in Japanese cuisine, is eel. The Anguillidae are a family of ray-finned fish that contains the freshwater eels. All the extant species and six subspecies in this family are in the genus Anguilla, and are elongated fish of snake-like bodies, with long dorsal, caudal and anal fins forming a continuous fringe. They are catadromous, spending their adult lives in freshwater, but migrating to the ocean to spawn. Eels are an important food fish and some species are now farm-raised, but not bred in captivity. Many populations in the wild are now threatened, and Seafood Watch recommends consumers avoid eating anguillid eels. The Anguillidae are a family of ray-finned fish that contains the freshwater eels. All the extant species and six subspecies in this family are in the genus Anguilla, and are elongated fish of snake-like bodies, with long dorsal, caudal and anal fins forming a continuous fringe. They are catadromous, spending their adult lives in freshwater, but migrating to the ocean to spawn. Eels are an important food fish and some species are now farm-raised, but not bred in captivity. Many populations in the wild are now threatened, and Seafood Watch recommends consumers avoid eating anguillid eels. Description Adult freshwater eels are elongated with tubelike, snake-shaped bodies. They have large, pointed heads and their dorsal fins are usually continuous with their caudal and anal fins, to form a fringe lining the posterior end of their bodies. They have relatively well developed eyes and pectoral fins compared to saltwater eels that they use to navigate and maneuver through river bottoms and shallow water. Unlike most eels, freshwater eels have not lost their scales, and instead have soft, thin, scales that are embedded in the epidermis. Additionally, freshwater eels possess small, granular...

Kosher ruling

Not kosher. Eels appear scaleless; any microscopic scales they may have do not qualify as halachic scales that can be removed without tearing the skin.

Source: Orthodox Union, Chabad; Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0); Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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