Martha’s Vineyard Smoked Eel Stifle

Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

In the spring, eels are one of the many fish species that make their way back to New England from the sea, running up our rivers to live the majority of their lives in brackish and fresh water up and down the coast. As populations have been in decline for generations due to habitat loss and overfishing, for much of my career it has been impossible to find local eel of any kind. But not anymore. American Unagi, the country’s largest commercial eel farm, is based in Maine and produces absolutely delicious eels sourced from locally caught elvers. They ship nationwide and offer live eel, as well as fillets and their own oak smoked eel fillets.

Hailing from Martha’s Vineyard, Eel Stifle is a recipe unique to the island, using a fish that was once plentiful and much loved in pre-Industrial Revolution Massachusetts, as well as all of coastal New England. Layers of potatoes, onions, salt pork and eels were put in a kettle with a bit of flour and simmered for hours, resulting in a hearty supper for hardworking Vineyarders.

I use smoked eel here for the richer, more complex flavor it imparts to the dish, as well as for ease of preparation. You could substitute smoked mackerel or finnan haddie, but I really do think it is worth searching out the genuine article. A simple green salad with a nice sharp vinaigrette and a crusty loaf of bread would round out a perfect early spring dinner with Smoked Eel Stifle at the center of your table.

Serves 6–8

FOR THE ONION CREAM:
½ cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, peeled, halved and diced
2 oil-packed anchovies, drained and chopped (optional)
½ tablespoon corn flour
2 cups heavy cream, warm
1 cup vegetable stock, warm
salt, to taste

FOR THE EEL STIFLE:
5 ounces salt pork, lardo, cured pork jowl or pancetta, thinly sliced
4 yellow onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon high-quality apple cider vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound smoked eel fillet, cut into medium dice, preferably from American Unagi
5 teaspoons freshly picked thyme leaves
4–6 Yukon Gold potatoes, depending on size
1½–2 cups prepared Onion Cream (recipe above)
salt, to taste
ground white pepper, to taste

MAKE THE ONION CREAM:
In a small saucepot, reduce the white wine by half and set aside.

In a medium saucepot, melt the butter over medium heat, then add in the onions. Season with salt, cover the pot and sweat over medium heat until translucent, about 5–6 minutes, being careful not to brown the onions.

If using, add in the anchovy and stir through, mashing it into a paste. Let cook 1–2 minutes, then sprinkle in the corn flour and stir to evenly coat the onion/anchovy mixture with the flour. Let the flour cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently to cook out the raw flavor.

Turn the heat up to high then pour in the vegetable stock in a steady stream, followed by the cream, stirring constantly to break up any lumps of the onion mixture. Season with salt.

Bring the mixture to a boil then add in the reduced white wine and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let cook 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer the contents of the pot to a blender and purée on high until smooth. This can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. Warm to room temperature before assembling the stifle.

MAKE THE STIFLE:
Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the salt pork. Allow the salt pork to render out its fat without achieving too much color, about 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove a quarter of the salt pork from the pot and reserve for garnish.

Add the sliced onions to the salt pork in the pot, season with salt, and sweat until translucent and fully cooked, about 15–20 minutes. Add the cider vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Remove from the heat and let the onion mixture cool to room temperature.

Once the onions have cooled, add the garlic, diced eel, and 4 teaspoons of the picked thyme. Stir to evenly distribute. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a 10-inch round casserole dish by lightly buttering the inside. Season lightly with salt and white pepper. Working quickly and using a mandoline, slice your potatoes very thinly into a bowl. Season with salt and white pepper and toss to evenly distribute.

In a circular pattern, lay down 1 even layer of potatoes along the bottom of the casserole dish. Top with 3 to 4 spoonfuls of the eelonion mixture and spread to evenly distribute.

Now, starting left to right, with a motion like you are dealing a deck of cards, press a layer of potatoes into the edge of the casserole dish, like you’re lining the edge with pastry. Spread a layer of the eel-onion mixture along the wide, cut side. Repeat with more potatoes, making sure the overlapping potato slices are touching each side of the casserole dish. Spread another thin layer of the eel-onion mixture. With each layer, gently press the potatoes into the side of the casserole dish to make sure everything is snug to prevent large air gaps. Keep repeating layers of the potato and eel-onion mixture until all potatoes and all of the eel-onion mixture are used up.

Slowly pour the onion cream evenly over the stifle until the potatoes are about almost completely covered by the cream, giving the casserole a gentle shake to make sure the cream gets into all the nooks and crannies. Scatter the reserved salt pork pieces and the remaining picked thyme over the top of the stifle.

Find a roasting pan large enough for your casserole dish to sit inside to act as a bain marie. Place a kitchen towel on the bottom of your bain marie and place the stifle on top of the towel. Place the bain marie in your oven, then pour boiling water into the bain marie so that it comes ¾ of the way up the side of the stifle. Close the oven door and bake the stifle for 45–60 minutes, until the potatoes are fully cooked and the top of the stifle is a crunchy golden brown.

To test the doneness of the potatoes, insert a cake tester or skewer into the stifle; if it encounters no resistance, the dish is done. If your stifle isn’t as golden brown on top as you would like, put it under a broiler for a few minutes.

Remove the stifle from the bain marie and let it rest for 10–20 minutes before serving heaping spoonfuls. If you have any unused onion cream, drizzle it over each portion as you dish it out.

This recipe appeared in the Spring 2026 issue as part of a larger story: Don’t Spring So Quickly.