Often in “The Servant”, viewers were treated to the entire process of preparing a dish from start to finish – including the actual killing and butchering of the animal. Frankly, the many deadpan, almost voyeuristic shots of certain foods (before, during, and after cooking) can easily oscillate between appealing and sickening—often in the same episode. This was never more evident than in “The Eel” (Season 1, Episode 3), in which Sean (and later Leanne) killed and then skinned a live eel.
Interestingly, however, the chef’s kiss-worthy ready-made food we actually see during this episode was not prepared by Sean, but by his chef de commis Toby (Tony Revolori). Left alone in the Turner house with Leanne, Toby prepares a meal of pan-fried eel for the two of them (after Leanne cold-bloodedly prepares the still-living protein), topping it with beetroot agrodolce.
It’s one of the first takeaways we remember seeing (and wanting) from the first season of The Servants. We would jump at the chance to try this pan-fried dish. We’d even be pumped to try Toby’s sweet and sour agrodolce dressing — though we’d probably prefer to eat Sean’s cooking rather than his assistant’s.
