Is Eel kosher?

Q: Is Eel kosher?

Eel is not kosher according to 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.

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.

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.

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