January 2010 - I opened up a can of worms - and contrary to all possible expectations, it was a good thing...

The Can Of Worms

It was a present my sister brought me back from Spain - it's baby eels in garlic oil. Except it's fake baby eels - producto de la pesca transformado - it's a surimi product (like crab sticks) - white fish processed with egg and milk protein - in this case, into little wormy shapes

Opening A Can Of Worms

Here it is - the moment of opening a can of worms.

They were packed in oil flavoured with garlic - and on examination, they really do look like elvers - if you're wondering how I know this, check out the link in the side column.

But this is more than just an unusual gift - it's a chance to try a novel item of food - something I love doing.

I lightly softened some thinly sliced shallot and red pepper in a pan, then added the... err... things and cooked them for a further couple of minutes.

Then I served them on buttered wholemeal toast with a little sweet chilli sauce over the top:

They were pretty good - very tender and with a sweet, mild seafood flavour. Nice.