When the entrails has been cleared out, it is ready for frying or smoking. The frying should take place on a strong heat so that the eel pieces become nice and brown. The pieces turned beforehand in flour and seasoning. The greatest art is connected with the smoking of the eel. Most people will even mange this in provisional circumstances but some advice from experienced eel smokers can be useful: To prepare the eel for smoking, it should be salted for about one and a half hours. Then it is dried thoroughly, even hang out on your clothes line in the fresh air. The eel is then hung in the smoking stove which has been lit with charcoal or wood and heated to approximately 90 degrees. In the stove, the eel should hang for half an hour in the smoke from woodchips. It is important the temperature does not rise too high. Later, the temperature is lowered to 60 - 70 degrees where a large eel can hang for a couple of hours until it is tasty and tender. A few juniper twigs placed in the stove can give a special taste, although others say this is a question of faith and tradition. Smoked eel can be served with different types of potatoes, for example dill potatoes, potato salad, or scrambled egg and flat bread (thin crisp bread). Beer is a very natural accompanying drink, often together with akevitt ( Scandinavian form of distilled spirit ), genever or another type of schnapps. Of course, you can combine an eel meal with non alcoholic drinks .