glass eel

See-through baby eel

A glass eel is a young eel at the stage when its body is still transparent, before it develops pigmentation.

Eels spawn in the ocean but migrate to freshwater, and glass eels are captured during this journey—prized in aquaculture and as a delicacy, especially in East Asian cuisine.

Glass eel prices can exceed a thousand dollars per pound.

delicacy

elver

Young eel

unagiJapanese cuisine's eel
sushiVinegared rice with toppings
sashimiThinly sliced raw fish

seafood · cuisine · gourmet · delicacy · umami · savory · luxury · exotic · gastronomy · culinary

lifecycle

elver

Young eel

juvenileYoung person or animal
larvalOf early insect stages
metamorphosisProfound biological restructuring

spawn · hatchling · fry · transparent · development · growth · maturation · Sargasso Sea · oceanic · marine

appearance

translucent

Permitting diffused light passage

transparentAllowing light through
clearWithout obstruction or fog
see-throughAllowing vision through

glassy · delicate · slender · tiny · small · thin · fragile · wispy · colorless · pale

migration

estuary

Tidal mixing zone

riverLarge flowing watercourse
streamSteady continuous flow
upstreamToward a river's origin

spawning · journey · currents · navigation · Sargasso Sea · Atlantic · Pacific · coastal · tidal · seasonal

Categories

long and thinearthworm, snake, worm, centipede, millipede
eelseels, Anguilla, elver, unagi
eel-shapedmoray, conger, sandeel, lamprey, hagfish
eel life cycleegg, larva, elver, spawning, metamorphosis
eel stageselver
fish stagesfry, fingerling, juvenile, larva, larvae

Opposites

eel life stage

glass eelelver

Young eel

Family

glass, glasses, eel, glassware, glazing, magnifying glass, fiberglass, stained glass, glazier

Familiarity: Top 1,000,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated G